ObjectivesTo systematically review the efficacy of kinesio taping on post stroke shoulder pain.MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PEDro, CNKI and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of kinesio taping on shoulder pain after stroke from inception to November, 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies, then, meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 8 RCTs involving 525 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with the control group, kinesio taping group for 4 weeks treatment significantly reduced shoulder pain (SMD=−0.81, 95%CI −0.58 to −0.04, P=0.04), increased range of motion of shoulder flexion (SMD=0.59, 95%CI 0.17 to 1.01, P=0.006) and abduction (SMD=0.67, 95%CI 0.24 to 1.09, P=0.002). It also improved Fugl-Meyer upper limb function (SMD=1.00, 95%CI 0.25 to 1.76, P=0.009).ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows that the kinesio taping for 4 weeks duration can effectively reduce shoulder pain after stroke. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.