Efficacy of Dorsal Kinesio Tape Application for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Esports Gamers: A Randomized Clinical Trial

May 19, 2025 updated by: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Efficacy of the Dorsal Application of Kinesio Tape on Esport Gamers

This clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of Kinesio Tape (KT) in alleviating carpal tunnel-like symptoms and enhancing gaming performance among young adult PC gamers. The study aims to address two primary questions:

Does Kinesio Tape reduce wrist pain in adult PC gamers experiencing carpal tunnel-like symptoms?

Does Kinesio Tape improve gaming performance in this population?

Researchers will compare the effects of KT applied to the wrist versus the scapular spine to determine if wrist application provides greater pain relief and performance benefits.

Participants will undergo:

Screening & Consent (Up to 30 minutes via Zoom): Informed consent and a Phalen's test to assess carpal tunnel-like symptoms.

Baseline (Day 0, 75 minutes): Completion of a demographic survey, 15 minutes of gaming on Kovaaks FPS Aim Trainer, KT application, 15 minutes of post-application gaming, and surveys (Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Severity [BCSS] and KT feedback).

Days 1 & 2 (15 minutes each): KT removal and reapplication, followed by BCSS and KT feedback surveys.

Day 3 (75 minutes): Repeat gaming tests, KT application, and completion of BCSS and KT feedback surveys, mirroring Day 0 procedures.

Total Time Commitment: Approximately 210 minutes (3.5 hours) over four sessions.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

11

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Nevada
      • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89102
        • Musculoskeletal Lab
      • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89113
        • Black Fire Innovation
      • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89154
        • Tonopah Residence Complex

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

  • Over 18 years of age
  • Test positive for Phalen's screening
  • Experience any carpal tunnel-like symptoms
  • Self Identified PC gamer

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Kinesio Tape on Dorsal Wrist
Participants in this group will receive Kinesio Tape applied to the dorsal side of the wrist. This application is intended to provide support and potentially reduce carpal tunnel-like symptoms while assessing its impact on gaming performance.
Device: Kinesio Tape
A thin, flexible, and elastic therapeutic tape intended for skin application to provide support for muscles and joints. This tape may help decrease pain, swelling, and inflammation while permitting movement. It is commonly utilized to enhance athletic performance and facilitate injury recovery. The tape functions by elevating the skin, which can enhance blood and lymph circulation, and is believed to engage the nervous system through proprioceptive feedback.
Sham Comparator: Kinesio Tape on Scapular Spine
Participants in this group will receive Kinesio Tape applied to the scapular spine on the opposite side of their dominant hand. This serves as a control condition to account for the effects of Kinesio Tape placement while ensuring that participants remain blinded to their group assignment.
Device: Kinesio Tape
A thin, flexible, and elastic therapeutic tape intended for skin application to provide support for muscles and joints. This tape may help decrease pain, swelling, and inflammation while permitting movement. It is commonly utilized to enhance athletic performance and facilitate injury recovery. The tape functions by elevating the skin, which can enhance blood and lymph circulation, and is believed to engage the nervous system through proprioceptive feedback.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Carpal Tunnel-Like Symptom Severity (Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire - Symptom Severity Scale)
Time Frame: Administered at the end of each session on Day 0 (baseline), Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 (post-intervention). Sessions were held every other day over an 8-day period.
This outcome measures the severity and frequency of carpal tunnel-like symptoms, including pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand, wrist, and forearm. Symptom severity was assessed using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire - Symptom Severity Scale (BCTQ-SSS), a validated self-report measure. The BCTQ-SSS uses a 5-point Likert scale where 1 indicates no symptoms and 5 indicates very severe symptoms. Participants rated their symptoms at the end of each session to monitor changes across the intervention period. Higher scores reflect greater symptom burden. This measure was used to evaluate whether kinesiotape application reduced the severity of symptoms commonly associated with repetitive strain injuries in esports players.
Administered at the end of each session on Day 0 (baseline), Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 (post-intervention). Sessions were held every other day over an 8-day period.
Esports Gaming Performance (Kovaaks Aim Trainer)
Time Frame: Day 0 (baseline session) and Day 3 (post-intervention session). In both sessions, performance was measured twice - once before and once after kinesiotape application. Study sessions were conducted every other day over an 8-day period.
Gaming performance was assessed using Kovaaks Aim Trainer, a validated simulation platform designed to measure key motor skills essential to first-person shooter (FPS) gameplay, including speed, accuracy, reaction time, and total task score. Participants completed two structured testing sessions-on Day 0 (baseline) and Day 3 (post-intervention)-each consisting of 15-minute gaming tasks both before and after kinesiotape application. The selected simulations targeted core esports competencies such as tracking (sustained aim on moving targets), flicking (rapid target shifts), and strafing (aiming while moving), which reflect real-world gaming demands. Performance data, including accuracy percentage and total score, were automatically recorded by the Kovaaks software and later averaged across trials to reduce variability. The purpose of this measure was to evaluate whether kinesiotape-applied to either the dorsal wrist or scapular spine, depending on group assignmet
Day 0 (baseline session) and Day 3 (post-intervention session). In both sessions, performance was measured twice - once before and once after kinesiotape application. Study sessions were conducted every other day over an 8-day period.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perceived Effects of Kinesiotape (Custom Feedback Questionnaire and Thematic Analysis)
Time Frame: Collected at the end of each session on Day 0 (baseline), Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 (post-intervention). Sessions were held every other day over an 8-day period.
This outcome captures participants' subjective perceptions of kinesiotape following each application session. A custom-designed feedback questionnaire was used to collect both quantitative Likert-scale ratings and open-ended qualitative responses. Quantitative items assessed sensations such as tightness, itchiness, and comfort, as well as perceived changes in speed, agility, and overall performance during gameplay. Open-ended responses allowed participants to describe in their own words how the tape influenced their motor control, posture, comfort, and focus. Thematic analysis was used to extract and categorize recurring themes across responses, including enhanced motor precision, ergonomic awareness, sensory experience, and psychological impact. Participants frequently reported improved wrist stability, increased awareness of movement patterns, postural corrections, and heightened confidence in gameplay execution. The integration of qualitative and quantitative feedback provided a ri
Collected at the end of each session on Day 0 (baseline), Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 (post-intervention). Sessions were held every other day over an 8-day period.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 22, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 28, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

March 28, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 23, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 19, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

May 28, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 28, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 19, 2025

Last Verified

January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UNLV-2024-458

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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