• Tuğba Özüdoğru Çelik, Pınar Borman, Cüneyt Tayman, Mariam Kavakçi, Feyza Çelebi, and Evren Yaşar.
• University of Health Sciences Turkey, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - Ankara, Turkey.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2023 Jan 1; 69 (10): e20230383e20230383.

ObjectiveThis study investigated the efficacy of kinesiology taping application in premature infants with dysphagia.MethodsA total of 60 premature newborns (born ≤37weeks' gestational age who reached the age ≥34 weeks of postmenstrual age) with sucking and swallowing problems were randomly assigned to the kinesiology taping group [n=31; 18 males, 13 females; mean postmenstrual age 35.4 weeks (SD 0.9 weeks, range 34-38 weeks)] or control group without kinesiology taping application [n=29; 16 males, 13 females; mean postmenstrual age age 35.6 weeks (SD 1.4 weeks, range 34-40 weeks)].ResultsKinesiology taping group yielded significant improvement in the oral reflexes (p<0.001) and in the sucking functions including tongue movement, sucking power, number of sucks and sucking pause, maintenance of alertness, jaw movement, tongue cupping, and maintenance of rhythm (p<0.001, p=0.011, p=0.002, and p=0.001, respectively). There was a significant difference in favor of the taping group with respect to the number of neonates whose feeding improved (26 (84%) vs. 7 (24%), p<0.001).ConclusionThe results of this study show that kinesiology taping can be applied as a safe and effective method to improve feeding functions in premature infants with sucking and swallowing difficulties.

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