Journal of Physiotherapy awards George Institute Researcher with People’s Choice Award

Patricia Parreira has been recognised by the Journal of Physiotherapy for her research evaluating a very popular treatment, Kinesio Taping, for musculoskeletal conditions.

The Journal of Physiotherapy’s People’s Choice Award is given to the paper that generates the most interest by readers of the journal, and based on the number of times that the paper is downloaded in the six months after its day of publication.

Professor Chris Maher of The George Institute for Global Health Australia and the University of Sydney, said that the award was an acknowledgment of the quality work coming from early career researchers at The George Institute.

“This is a great achievement by Patricia. This prize is open not only to PhD students, but all researchers, setting a high benchmark of quality work,” Prof Maher said.

“The Journal of Physiotherapy People's Choice Award to Patricia Parreira for her trial speaks to the quality of the PhD students at the Institute.”

Ms Parreira’s systemic review ‘Current evidence does not support the use of Kinesio Taping in clinical practice’, examined the twelve randomised trials that provided published data about the effect of Kinesio Taping on pain, disability, quality of life, return to work and global perceived recovery in people with musculoskeletal conditions.

“According to the creators of this technique, the benefits of Kinesio Taping is reduction of pain intensity, realignment of joints and change in the recruitment activity patterns of the treated muscles,” Ms Parreira

“My review found that Kinesio Taping had no benefit over sham taping or other active treatments to which it had been compared.

“The benefit was too small to be clinically worthwhile, or the trials were of low quality. In other words, Kinesio Taping is a placebo.”