Randomised trial, 2025
Do kinesio taping or tele-pilates reduce PMS symptoms?
Yes. Both 8 weeks of kinesio taping and 8 weeks of tele-pilates significantly reduced PMS symptoms, with no real difference between the two, while a no-treatment group did not improve.
What they did
A randomized controlled trial of 90 women aged 18 to 25 with PMS, split into three groups: kinesio taping for 8 weeks, tele-pilates exercise for 8 weeks, or a control group that kept their usual routine. PMS symptoms were measured with the Premenstrual Syndrome Questionnaire (PMSQ) before and after the 8 weeks.
What they found
Both the kinesio taping and tele-pilates groups had significant drops in all PMSQ sub-scores after treatment (p = 0.001). The control group showed no significant change in any sub-score (p values from 0.066 to 0.415). There was no significant difference between kinesio taping and tele-pilates in how much symptoms improved.
What it means for you
Both kinesio taping and tele-pilates seem to help with PMS symptoms about equally well, more than no treatment at all. The trial only looked at women aged 18 to 25, used self-reported symptom scores, and tested just 8 weeks, so longer-term effects and use in older women are unknown.
90
total women studied
8 weeks
intervention length
p=0.001
significance of improvement in KT/TP groups
About the study
- Original title
- Effect of kinesio taping versus tele-pilates intervention on pre-menstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Asmaa M. El-Bandrawy, Amera S. Aly Yousef, Doaa Ahmed Osman et al.
- Journal
- Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- 8 weeks of kinesio taping vs 8 weeks of tele-pilates vs usual routine (control)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s43161-025-00321-y
Original abstract
Abstract Background Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) has a wide variety of signs and symptoms, including physical, psychological, and behavioral Symptoms of sufficient severity to interfere with daily activities. Objective The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a Tele-Pilates intervention and Kinesio Taping in managing symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Methods Ninety female participants aged 18 to 25 diagnosed with PMS were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the Kinesio taping group (KT), the Tele-Pilates exercise group (TP), or the Control group (CG). The KT group received taping intervention for eight weeks, the TP group engaged in an eight-week Tele-Pilates exercise program, while the CG maintained their usual routines without intervention. The Premenstrual Syndrome Questionnaire (PMSQ) was administered to all groups at baseline and again after eight weeks of intervention to assess premenstrual symptoms. Results Pairwise comparisons revealed significant reductions (p = 0.001) in all subdimension scores of PMSQ in both the KT and TP groups following the intervention. The control group did not show any statistically significant improvements (PMS-A: p = 0.078; PMS-C: p = 0.066; PMS-D: p = 0.333; PMS-H: p = 0.344; other symptoms: p = 0.290; cramps: p = 0.349; backache: p = 0.415). Post hoc analysis revealed no significant difference between the KT and TP groups in the degree of symptom reduction after treatment. Conclusions Tele-Pilates and Kinesio taping interventions demonstrated similar effectiveness in reducing PMS symptoms, with no significant differences in outcomes between the two. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT07063472. Registered 2 July 2025—retrospectively registered.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
Related studies
Cohort study, 2026
Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does yoga or Pilates help reduce PMS symptoms?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS?
Systematic review, 2026
Do mindfulness and relaxation techniques help with PMS symptoms?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms?
Randomised trial, 2025
Does caloric restriction and aerobic exercise improve PMS symptoms in obese women?