Effect of Kinesio Taping Applied to the Suprahyoid Muscles on Swallowing Safety in Patients With Post-Stroke Dysphagia (Post-Stroke KT)

November 20, 2025 updated by: Omer Faruk Yasaroglu, Harran University

Investigation of the Effects of Suprahyoid Kinesio Taping on Swallowing Safety and Hyolaryngeal Elevation in Patients With Post-Stroke Dysphagia

Dysphagia is defined as a disorder that occurs during the process of food transfer, beginning with oral intake and continuing until it reaches the stomach. The incidence of post-stroke dysphagia has been reported to range between 42% and 75%. Dysphagia can lead to aspiration pneumonia due to food entering the lungs, as well as malnutrition, dehydration, and even death. In patients with inadequate swallowing safety and efficiency, compensatory maneuvers such as chin tuck, head flexion, supraglottic swallowing, and the Mendelsohn maneuver are commonly used. These maneuvers aim to maintain oral intake by narrowing the laryngeal vestibule or increasing hyolaryngeal elevation. They are evaluated during videofluoroscopic swallowing studies and recommended to patients if they are found to prevent aspiration or penetration.

Kinesio taping (KT) has been reported to stimulate cutaneous receptors, increase sensory input, and facilitate neural reflexes, thereby promoting the activation of a greater number of motor units during maximal muscle contraction. In recent years, it has also begun to be used in the field of dysphagia rehabilitation. Studies conducted in stroke patients have shown that KT applied to the infrahyoid muscles provides resistance to the suprahyoid muscles and enhances their strength. A kinematic analysis study in stroke patients reported that KT applied to include the suprahyoid muscles increased vertical hyoid movement, although it did not result in a significant improvement in swallowing safety. The study, however, did not specify the detailed taping method used. Since the suprahyoid muscles are primarily responsible for hyolaryngeal elevation, KT focusing on this region has the potential to serve as a compensatory maneuver in dysphagia management.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

25

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 Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Sanliurfa, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Recruiting
        • Harran University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
        • Contact:

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

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of stroke
  • Age over 18 years
  • Presence of swallowing disorder symptoms
  • Willingness to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of neurological diseases other than stroke
  • Presence of tracheostomy
  • Open wounds on the skin in the submental region

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Kinesio Taping Group
Participants with post-stroke dysphagia will receive Kinesio Taping applied to the suprahyoid muscle region. Swallowing safety and kinematic parameters will be evaluated before and after the intervention.
Other: Kinesio Taping
Kinesio tape will be applied over the suprahyoid region to facilitate muscle activation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Swallowing Safety (Penetration-Aspiration Scale Score)
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after Kinesio taping application.
Swallowing safety will be evaluated using the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) during videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS). Each swallow will be scored on an 8-point scale, with higher scores indicating a higher risk of airway invasion. The difference in PAS scores before and immediately after Kinesio taping will be analyzed to assess the acute effect of the intervention on swallowing safety.
Immediately before and immediately after Kinesio taping application.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Harran University

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)

April 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 20, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 20, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HRÜ/24.14.41

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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