The effect of kinesio taping in primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled study

Dysmenorrhea is one of the most common causes of disability in women’s health worldwide. It affects women’s daily activities and negatively affects their social life. It increases healthcare costs and constitutes a significant burden for both women and society. Therefore, interventions to improve dysmenorrhea are needed. The aim of the study is to examine the effect of kinesio taping (KT) intervention on pain, muscle strength, functional disability, physical activity level, and quality of life. This randomized controlled study was conducted with participants with primary dysmenorrhea who were divided into kinesio taping (KT) and control (C) groups. The KT group underwent consecutive taping for 12 days starting from the premenstrual week. Trunk muscle strength evaluation, visual analogue scale (VAS), the pressure pain threshold, menstrual distress questionnaire (MDQ), SF-36 quality of life scale, Oswestry disability index (ODI), international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) were used as outcome measures. Significant group×time interactions were found for trunk extensor strength [F(1,34) = 10.059, p =.003], MDQ total [F(1,34) = 4.702, p =.036], ODI [F(1,34) = 14.796, p =.001], SF-36 physical functioning [F(1,34) = 12.537, p =.001], and social functioning [F(1,34) = 5.864, p =.021]. Additionally, significant interactions were observed for pressure pain threshold (right: [F(1,34) = 5.300, p =.028]; left: [F(1,34) = 5.849, p =.021]) and VAS on the first [F(1,34) = 15.009, p <.001] and second days [F(1,34) = 13.435, p = .001] of menstruation. However, no significant groupxtime interactions were observed for trunk flexor strength[F(1,34) = 1.009, p =.322], VAS scores on the third day of menstruation [F(1,34)=0.456, p =.504], SF-36 bodily pain [F(1,34) = 2.292, p = .139] and overall health perception[F(1,34)=0.523, p = .475] domains. This study suggests that KT may have potential benefits for pain, functionality and trunk extensor strength in primary dysmenorrhea, but its effects are limited to specific clinical areas. In light of the current limitations, KT should be considered as a safe and non-pharmacological complementary option. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07145424. Registered on 19.08.2025. (Retrospectively registered).