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Case report
Pain relief with elastic therapeutic taping
  1. Ekta Gupta1,
  2. Courtland Lee2,
  3. Amy Ng1 and
  4. Eduardo Bruera1
  1. 1 Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
  2. 2 Rehabilitation Services, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ekta Gupta, Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA; egupta{at}mdanderson.org

Abstract

Background and purpose Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) occurs in 19%–85% of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Due to the high symptom burden, specifically pain in the soles of feet, we explore the role of elastic therapeutic (ET) taping for treatment of CIPN.

Case description We report two cases of patients with CIPN-induced foot pain while admitted to the hospital. Their background information, including chemotherapy history, treatments trialed and effects of ET on their pain, is discussed. Each patient underwent ET using the epidermis, dermis, fascia technique for CIPN. An occupational therapist applied ET to the plantar surface of both feet to the ankle with 0% stretch on the tape for 24–96 hours. We also showed the effect of symptom improvement in their individualized rehabilitation session following application of ET.

Outcomes Pain score, verbally documented by 10 point numerical pain rating scale, decreased by >50% in both patients within 24 hours of application. This reflects a substantial improvement in pain with the intervention of ET. This allowed for improved tolerance in engaging in functional mobility, with improvement in distances ambulated.

Discussion ET taping of the distal leg and foot showed pain improvement for these two patients. Our findings suggest that a clinical trial aimed at better characterising the role of ET in these patients is justified.

  • rehabilitation
  • symptoms and symptom management
  • cancer
  • neurological conditions
  • pain

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003381

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @EGuptaMD

    • Presented at Cancer Rehabilitation Symposium at TIRR/MD Anderson Cancer Center Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Nephropathy (Oral Presentation), Cancer Rehabilitation Symposium 2019 Shifting Paradigms in Cancer Rehabilitation, TIRR/MD Anderson Cancer Center, 3/30/2019

    • Contributors EG and CL contributed equally to this paper and are joint first authors. They both contributed to the planning, conducting and reporting of this work. AN and EB contributed to the planning and reporting of this work.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests EB receives research funding from Helsinn Healthcare SA, Strategic Collaboration Agreement Award No. 52626 outside of this study. EG is chair of the Cancer Rehabilitation Physician Consortium Member Community of American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.