An interventional study of Kinesio Taping and Routine Bowel Management Program in Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction and Spinal Cord Injury, sponsored by Pamukkale University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-15.
Sponsored by Pamukkale University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
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.
2,025 studies on the registry are indexed under Spinal Cord Injuries; 537 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 30 is above the median of 24 across 1,633 interventional studies indexed under Spinal Cord Injuries.
Browse Spinal Cord Injuries studies →Pamukkale University is the lead sponsor of 342 studies on the registry; 61 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this arm 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.
Behavioral: Routine Bowel Management Program
Participants in this arm will receive Kinesio Taping in addition to the routine bowel management program for 4 weeks. Kinesio Taping will be applied to the lower abdominal and lumbosacral regions three times per week by the same experienced physician. 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, and 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
Other: Kinesio Taping · Behavioral: Routine Bowel Management Program
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.
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.
Change in Defecation Frequency
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Bristol Stool Form Scale Score
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Perceived Constipation Severity
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Short Form-36 Health Survey Scores
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Defecation Duration
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in the Feeling of Complete Evacuation
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Straining During Defecation
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Change in Painful Defecation
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.
Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention
Plan to share: No
Start is estimated for Jul 2026; primary completion for Oct 2026, 3 months later.
Of 790 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Spinal Cord Injuries, half reached primary completion within 37 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 65. This study's planned 3 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 839 studies reached it within 36 months; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 64.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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