Effect of using therapeutic elastic bandage in patients with pain

Abstract

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or similar to, actual or potential tissue damage, according to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Functional Elastic Bandage (FEB) is a technique that uses a tape with elastic properties, which focuses on somatosensory stimulation, which can provide pain relief, improved blood and lymphatic circulation, among other benefits. The application is done according to the purpose, and it is one of the techniques increasingly used by physiotherapists as an additional resource in treatment, mainly due to the characteristics presented. The present study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects of the use of FEB on the different types of pain in patients treated at a physiotherapy outpatient clinic. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study; data collection was carried out over three months at the Specialty Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto - SP, considering a sample of 30 participants, which included volunteers over the age of 18, without distinction of gender. A questionnaire addressing aspects of the patients' pain condition was applied. The subjects included in the study underwent an application of BEF in technique “I” with 50% tension and were instructed to use it for 3 days, without any type of treatment being associated. Pain assessment was performed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the McGill questionnaire at two times, the first before the application of BEF and the second after 1 week. All participants had some type of pain, and the majority were female. According to the VAS, the participants had pain described as moderate to severe before the application of the bandage. After the application of the bandage, the participants had significant improvement in their pain, presenting mild pain or even 0, and no participant presented severe pain. In summary, the study demonstrated satisfactory results regarding the reduction of pain in the volunteers who received the application of the bandage, even in different types.