Recruiting

Red Kinesiology TapeEfficacy of Red Kinesiology Tape on Carpal Tunnel-Like Symptoms and Performance in Esports Gamers

Sponsor:

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Code:

NCT06757062

Conditions

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Kinesiology Tape

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if dorsally applied kinesiology tape is an effective conservative treatment for symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and assess the potential performance effect of the tape color in first-person shooter esports games in esports gamers who exhibit symptoms that resemble carpal tunnel syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Is dorsally applied kinesiology tape able to manage carpal tunnel syndrome-like symptoms in esports gamers? Does red kinesiology tape hinder or improve performance in first-person shooter esports games in esports gamers?

Researchers will compare red kinesiology tape to skin tone kinesiology tape. Both will be applied on the dorsal aspect of the hand and wrist of the dominant upper extremity.

Participants will visit the site 2 times to get kinesiology tape applied and complete a pre and post-test for pain and performance. Depending on randomization a participant will receive a random sequence of the study arm (ex: red then skin tone or skin tone then red tape)

Conditions

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Study ID

NCT06757062

Start date

Jan 1, 2025

Status verified date

Dec, 2024

Completion date

Apr 30, 2025

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar 30, 2025

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

over 18 years old
can see color vision
reports having numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in the hands, wrist, or fingers
has a positive Phalen's test result
passes Ishihara Color Vision Test with a score of at least 12
provides written consent
reports to play video games over 5 hours a week on average

Exclusion Criteria:

cognitively impaired
pregnant
has history of skin conditions
has history of hand conditions other than carpal tunnel syndrome
has history of surgery to the wrist, hand, or fingers
is currently receiving other forms of physiotherapy
has open wounds on the kinesiology tape application site

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Red Kinesiology Tape Applied with the Dorsal Application for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The red kinesiology tape will be applied with the dorsal application for carpal tunnel syndrome. It is explained and utilized in Krause et al. (2020). The color red has been found in previous studies to impact motor function and performance in various activities specifically when looking at activities of an aggressive or competitive nature. Thus red was chosen when assessing the color effect of red in first-person shooter games which require outperforming the opponent with quick reaction time, accuracy, and aggression.

Each participant will receive the red KT application only once. The order of which they receive the red KT or the skin tone KT will depend on their random assignment to group X or Y.

The KT will be applied by an interventionist trained in proper KT application. Participants will be educated on self-removal specifically given by the manufacturer of the brand of KT used (Sparthos Tape). There will be a 7 day washout period between tape applications.

active comparator: Skin Tone Kinesiology Tape Applied with the Dorsal Application for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The skin tone kinesiology tape will be applied with the dorsal application for carpal tunnel syndrome. It is explained and utilized in Krause et al. (2020). Sparthos KT offers skin tone KT covering multiple shades to allow the closest color to match the participant's skin. Utilizing other skin tones other than beige allows inclusion and diversity. The skin tone KT was chosen to diminish the effect of the KT color to allow better isolation and study of the effect of the color red in comparison.

Each participant will receive the skin tone KT application only once. The order in which they receive the red KT or the skin tone KT will depend on their random assignment to group X or Y.

The KT will be applied by an interventionist trained in proper KT application. Participants will be educated on self-removal specifically given by the manufacturer of the brand of KT used (Sparthos Tape). There will be a 7 day washout period between tape applications.

Interventions

Kinesiology Tape

The kinesiology tape (KT) is applied with the dorsal application for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This method is utilized and explained in Krause et al. (2020). This study will assess the efficacy of the application method as well as the varying effects of the color of the KT. Red KT will be compared to skin tone KT. The skin tone KT will be color-matched as closely as possible to each participant's skin tone to reduce the effect of the KT color. In this way, the study's second purpose is to understand the potential effect of color on psychological function and performance in the context of aggressive first-person shooter esports games.

Primary outcome measure

McGill Pain Questionnaire Short-Form [ Time Frame: at intervals throughout the 3 week cycle ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Sarah A Taing

7022727855 taings3@unlv.nevada.edu

Donnamarie Krause, Ph.D

7632342532 donnamarie.krause@unlv.edu

Locations

University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Shadow Lane Campus

Recruiting

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89102

Contacts

Donnamarie Krause, OTD, Ph.D.

763-234-2532 donnamarie.krause@unlv.edu

Victoria Bernabe

702-895-1811 mariavictoria.bernabe@unlv.edu

Principal Investigator:

Donnamarie Krause, OTD, Ph.D.

More Information

Sponsor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Last update posted

Jan 3, 2025

Last verified

Dec, 2024

Keywords

Esports
Gamers
Carapl Tunnel Syndrome
Performance
First Person Shooter
Red
Color Theory
Kinesio Tape
Kinesiology Tape
Dorsal Application

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Nevada, Las Vegas on 2025-01-03.