Effects of Applying Kinesio Tapping on Primary Dysmenorrhea in Football Players

Effects of Applying Kinesio Tapping on Primary Dysmenorrhea in Football Players: Randomized Clinical Trial

The objective of this clinical study is to investigate the effects of applying Kinesio Taping to female soccer players with PD and comparing this application with a placebo group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD)
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Kinesio Taping; Device: Placebo Group

Detailed Description

Women's football has grown in the last decade, but there is still a need to study how the menstrual cycle affects players' performance. Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD), a common menstrual pain, impacts between 50% and 90% of women, reducing their participation in sporting activities. Many players notice that their performance is affected during the cycle, and the use of anti-inflammatories is not always effective. Therefore, it is important to implement simple measures that improve the quality of life and performance of players. Alternatives such as physical therapy and Kinesio Taping (KT) can help alleviate symptoms. The literature shows that KT is a technique with the potential to produce tactile sensory impulses on the skin, which can block or reduce the arrival of painful sensations to the brain, and could therefore be interesting in the treatment of PD. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effects of applying Kinesio Taping to female soccer players with PD and comparing this application with a placebo group.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • São Paulo
    • São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, 04021-001
      • Department of Gynecology of Federal University of São Paulo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women practicing football from the Mulheres em Campo project
• Primary dysmenorrhea
• Aged between 15 and 17 years
• Regular menstrual cycle (28 ± 7 days)
• Nulliparous
• Not having an intrauterine contraceptive device or using oral contraceptives
• DP will be defined according to the Visual Analogue Scale from 5 points.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Women who do not play football in the Mulheres em Campo project
• Secondary dysmenorrhea
• Diagnosed with serious comorbidity
• Skin lesions in the abdominal region
• Allergy to adhesive tapes.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Kinesio Taping group; KT will be applied by a physiotherapist with experience in the Kinesio Taping method by Kenzo Kase. Three I-shaped Kinesio tapes will be used, 5 cm wide, covering the T-11 and T-12 dermatomes. The first tape will be applied vertically between the navel and pubis, with the participant in an orthostatic position with slight trunk extension. The second tape, with the same length as the first, will be applied with its central region over the middle zone of the first, perpendicularly. The third tape will be applied horizontally to the lower back, covering the spines posterosuperior iliac muscles, with the participant in an orthostatic position, performing light trunk flexion.	Device: Kinesio Taping; KT will be applied by a physiotherapist with experience in the Kinesio Taping method by Kenzo Kase. Three I-shaped Kinesio tapes will be used, 5 cm wide, covering the T-11 and T-12 dermatomes. The first tape will be applied vertically between the navel and pubis, with the participant in an orthostatic position with slight trunk extension. The second tape, with the same length as the first, will be applied with its central region over the middle zone of the first, perpendicularly. The third tape will be applied horizontally to the lower back, covering the spines posterosuperior iliac muscles, with the participant in an orthostatic position, performing light trunk flexion.; Other Names: Taping; Tape
Placebo Comparator: placebo group; The quantity of tapes, type, size and region of application will be the same as the group KT, however, in this group the tapes will be applied without tension and with procedure different from that recommended, first starting to adhere a side anchor into the skin, followed by the center and then the other side anchor.	Device: Placebo Group; The quantity of tapes, type, size and region of application will be the same as the group KT, however, in this group the tapes will be applied without tension and with procedure different from that recommended, first starting to adhere a side anchor into the skin, followed by the center and then the other side anchor.; Other Names: placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analogue Scale	Visual Analogue Scale (VAS): to assess the intensity of menstrual pain. 10 cm VAS, which proved to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring experimental and clinical pain. The VAS is scored on a horizontal line of 10 points (0 = no pain and 10 = maximum pain). Participants must mark the intensity of menstrual pain on the horizontal line, considering the most painful days of the menstrual cycle.	At recruitment and at the end of the menstrual cycle of each of the four months of the study (each cycle is 28 days).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Short McGill	Assessment of subjective pain in relation to PD. Shortened version of the original McGill questionnaire, translated and validated into Portuguese. The person assessed must choose one of 15 words and the pain is classified according to its sensory and affective dimensions, along with an analogue scale that assesses the general intensity of the pain in the last few days and a 6-item scale with a global description of the intensity. The questionnaire score is calculated based on the intensity of the pain descriptors chosen by the patient. Being the intensity scale 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = uncomfortable, 3 = distressing, 4 = horrible, 5 = excruciating. The pain index is obtained by adding the intensity values of the chosen descriptors. The highest possible value is 20, as the patient can only choose one word per subgroup. The higher the total score, the greater the patient's pain experience.	At recruitment and at the end of the menstrual cycle of each of the four months of the study (each cycle is 28 days)
Menstrual complaints questionnaire	Assessment of the presence of low back pain, headache, abdominal swelling, breast tenderness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, insomnia, nervousness and depression. Responses will be recorded as "present" or "absent" on a questionnaire	At recruitment and at the end of the menstrual cycle of each of the four months of the study (each cycle is 28 days)
Questionnaire on interference of Primary Dysmenorrhea in sports practice	Assessment of how much the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea interfered with their sports practice. The responses will be recorded as "almost no interference", "little interference", "medium interference", "a lot of interference", "intense interference".	At recruitment and at the end of the menstrual cycle of each of the four months of the study (each cycle is 28 days)
Short form health survey 36 (sf-36)	Assessment of quality of life. Translated and validated version into Portuguese of the Short Form Health Survey 36. The SF-36 assesses eight aspects of quality of life: Functional capacity, Physical aspects, Emotional aspects, Pain, General health status, Vitality, Social aspects, Mental health. Your score ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being the worst health status and 100 being the best.	At recruitment and at the end of the menstrual cycle of each of the four months of the study (each cycle is 28 days)
Diary menstrual	Paper diary where they must record with a pen every time they take medication due to discomfort related to dysmenorrhea in each menstrual cycle, as well as the intensity of the discomfort (mild, moderate, intense).	Every day of the menstrual cycle throughout the four months of the study (each cycle is 28 days)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Federal University of São Paulo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 26, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 27, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 18, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 11, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 11, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): February 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 24, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: primary dysmenorrhea; kinesio taping; female football
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Pathologic Processes; Pelvic Pain; Menstruation Disturbances; Dysmenorrhea
• Other Study ID Numbers: 6665758; 76907423.1.0000.5505 (Registry Identifier: 76907423.1.0000.5505)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The individual participant data (IPD) will not be authorized because the sample is made up of minors and the information collected is confidential. After the study is completed, the results will be duly published in accordance with ethical standards.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes