Less Pain, More Game: Efficacy of Red Kinesiology Tape on Carpal Tunnel-Like Symptoms and Performance in Esports Gamers
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)
• 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