The effectiveness of taping on children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.

AIM: Taping is popular in a variety of paediatric clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of taping on the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

METHOD: We used MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials as the electronic databases for the review. We reviewed all relevant studies published up to May 2015. We also analysed pertinent secondary references. We used Sackett's Levels of Evidence and the guidelines for critical review of McMaster University to criticize the reviewed articles.

RESULTS: Nine papers met the inclusion criteria. Five of these were randomized controlled trials, three were case series, and one was a single case study. Four papers were high quality according to the methodological critical forms of this review, and two of these found that taping was effective in increasing activity in children with CP.

INTERPRETATION: Although benefits of taping were found in the population, and functional gains according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health were obtained, the evidence was not conclusive. Randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and with more specific taping procedures are required to strengthen the evidence for the effectiveness of taping on children with CP.