Dry Needling and Kinesio Taping as Adjuncts to Strength Training on Pain, Functional Mobility, and Quality of Life in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive degenerative joint condition characterized by pain, myofascial trigger points, muscular weakness, and impaired functional mobility, ultimately affecting quality of life. Strength training is widely recommended as a first-line conservative treatment; however, residual pain and myofascial dysfunction may limit optimal recovery. Dry needling has been shown to deactivate trigger points and reduce local muscle hypertonicity, while Kinesio taping is proposed to modulate pain and support proprioception and muscle function through cutaneous and fascial mechanisms. Comparative evidence on the added benefit of these two adjunct techniques alongside strength training in knee OA remains scarce.

Objective: To compare the effects of dry needling and Kinesio taping, each combined with strength training, on pain, functional mobility, and quality of life in patients with knee OA.

Methodology: A three-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted on 50 participants diagnosed with knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade II-III), randomly allocated into three groups using a computer-generated random sequence with allocation concealment. Group A received dry needling combined with strength training, Group B received Kinesio taping combined with strength training, and Group C received strength training alone as the control group. Interventions were administered three times per week for 6 weeks. Outcome measures included the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test for functional mobility, and the WHOQOL-BREF for quality of life, assessed at baseline and post-intervention (6 weeks). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and post-hoc comparisons, with significance set at p<0.05.