Effect of swallowing rehabilitation using traditional therapy, kinesiology taping and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on dysphagia in post-stroke patients: A randomized clinical trial

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the functional recovery of stroke patients with orophyaryngeal dysphagia after treatment with traditional swallowing therapy (TST), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), and kinesiology taping (KT), by using clinical swallowing assessments and objective fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Methods: A total of 37 patients were randomized in three groups: those who received TST and NMES as Group 1 (n:12), those who received both TST and KT as Group 2 (n:13), and those who received TST, NMES, and KT together as Group 3 (n:12). Patients were evaluated before treatment, after treatment, and three months after treatment onset with bedside water-swallow test, Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), and National Institute of Health-Swallow Safety Scale (NIH-SSS). FOIS, PAS, and NIS-SSS were completed according to results of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Results: A statistically significant decrease was observed in bedside water-swallow test, EAT-10, PAS, and NIH-SSS scores in all treatment groups 5 weeks and 3 months after treatment onset compared to pre-treatment scores (p < 0.05). There was a statistically significant increase in FOIS scores 5 weeks and 3 months after treatment compared to pretreatment scores in all treatment groups (p < 0.05). When the pre-treatment, 3-week, and 5-month swallow scale scores of all groups were compared, there was no significant different difference in terms of bedside water-swallow test, EAT-10, FOIS, PAS, or NIH-SSS scores (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of our study, KT is a new option in the treatment of stroke-related dysphagia, is an effective treatment approach and its efficacy is maintained throughout long-term follow-up.