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NCT Number: NCT07705984

Kinesio Taping for Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Spinal Cord Injury

Neurogenic bowel dysfunction is a common complication of spinal cord injury and may cause constipation, difficulty with defecation, prolonged bowel care, incomplete evacuation, fecal incontinence, and reduced quality of life. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping added to a routine bowel management program in adults with spinal cord injury and upper motor neuron-type neurogenic bowel dysfunction.

Thirty participants will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups. The control group will receive a routine bowel management program, while the intervention group will receive Kinesio Taping in addition to the routine bowel management program. Kinesio Taping will be applied to the lower abdominal and lumbosacral regions three times per week for 4 weeks.

The primary outcome will be defecation frequency recorded using a 7-day bowel diary. Secondary outcomes will include stool consistency, defecation duration, perceived constipation severity, neurogenic bowel dysfunction severity, and health-related quality of life. Assessments will be performed before and after the 4-week intervention.

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Key information

Conditions

Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Central Nervous System Diseases Colonic Diseases Colonic Diseases, Functional Constipation Digestive System Diseases Gastrointestinal Diseases Intestinal Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neurogenic Bowel Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Digestive Spinal Cord Diseases Spinal Cord Injuries Spinal Cord Injury Trauma, Nervous System Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Pamukkale University Hospital

Denizli, 20160, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location contact

Meltem Gunes Akıncı, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+902586000

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults aged 18 years or older with traumatic or nontraumatic spinal cord injury
  • Neurological level of injury at T12 or above
  • Upper motor neuron-type neurogenic bowel dysfunction
  • Duration of spinal cord injury longer than 6 months
  • Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Age younger than 18 years
  • Neurological level of injury below T12
  • Gastrointestinal disease diagnosed before the spinal cord injury, including irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease
  • History of conservative treatment for neurogenic bowel dysfunction within the previous 6 months
  • Colostomy or history of bowel surgery
  • Neurological disease other than spinal cord injury that may cause gastrointestinal or anal sphincter dysfunction
  • Cognitive impairment that may interfere with participation in the study

Treatment and study plan

Kinesio Taping

Other

Kinesio Taping will be applied to the lower abdominal and lumbosacral regions three times per week for 4 weeks. The tape will remain in place for 2 days and will be removed before the next treatment session. A star-shaped correction technique will be applied to the lumbosacral region with 25%-50% tension. An I-shaped correction technique will be applied to the lower abdominal region between the right and left anterior superior iliac spines. No tension will be applied to the ends of the tape.

Routine Bowel Management Program

Behavioral

Participants will receive an individualized routine bowel management program based on their clinical condition for 4 weeks. The program may include scheduled bowel care, dietary and fluid recommendations, appropriate positioning, physical activity, abdominal massage, rectal evacuation techniques, suppositories, enemas, and oral or rectal laxatives when clinically indicated. Participants will be instructed not to change their usual dietary habits during the study period.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Defecation Frequency

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Defecation frequency will be recorded using a 7-day bowel diary and expressed as the total number of defecations during a 7-day period. Higher values indicate more frequent bowel movements.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Bristol Stool Form Scale Score

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Stool consistency will be assessed using the 7-point Bristol Stool Form Scale. Type 1 indicates separate hard lumps, while Type 7 indicates entirely liquid stool. Types 3 to 5 generally represent softer or more desirable stool consistency.

  2. Change in Perceived Constipation Severity

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Participants will rate the overall severity of constipation on a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale ranging from 0 to 10. A score of 0 indicates no constipation, while a score of 10 indicates very severe constipation.

  3. Change in Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Neurogenic bowel dysfunction severity will be assessed using the 10-item Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score. The total score ranges from 0 to 47, with higher scores indicating more severe neurogenic bowel dysfunction.

  4. Change in Short Form-36 Health Survey Scores

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. The instrument includes eight subscales, each scored from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better perceived health status.

  5. Change in Defecation Duration

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Defecation duration will be recorded in minutes using a 7-day bowel diary. Participants will record the time required to complete each bowel evacuation. A shorter duration indicates less time spent on bowel care.

  6. Change in the Feeling of Complete Evacuation

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    The feeling of complete bowel evacuation will be recorded in the 7-day bowel diary after each defecation. The outcome will be expressed as the number or proportion of defecations associated with a feeling of complete evacuation during the 7-day assessment period. Higher values indicate more frequent complete evacuation.

  7. Change in Straining During Defecation

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Straining during defecation will be recorded in the 7-day bowel diary. The outcome will be expressed as the number or proportion of defecations accompanied by straining during the 7-day assessment period. Lower values indicate less frequent straining.

  8. Change in Painful Defecation

    Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention

    Painful defecation will be recorded in the 7-day bowel diary. The outcome will be expressed as the number or proportion of defecations associated with pain during the 7-day assessment period. Lower values indicate less frequent painful defecation.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Meltem Gunes Akıncı, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+902582966000

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Pamukkale University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of Kinesio Taping on Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 15, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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