Anti Pronation Taping and Its Effect on Balance, Explosive Power and Agility of School Going Children with Flat Foot

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Flat foot is one of the most common conditions observed in adult. The development of foot arch is rapid between 2 and 6 years of age and becomes structurally matured around 12 or 13 years of age. Flat arches in children usually become proper arches and high arches as the child progresses through adolescence and into adulthood. There are many physiotherapy techniques available for the treatment and rehabilitation of pronated foot which includes taping as one of the important interventions for this condition. It is proposed that the application of tape is a means, aims to alleviate pain, improve muscle function, and restore functional movements. The treatment of flat foot aims at to improve the strength, power, agility and balance. Physiotherapy treatments like electrical stimulation, stretching and strengthening exercises. The purpose of the present study is was to find the effects of rigid taping plus conventional therapy and sham taping plus conventional therapy alone in balance, agility and vertical jump height in children with flat foot. Methods:44 participants were taken in study, treatment was given daily for 4-week, through lottery random sampling and randomly assigned either of two groups by Opaque envelope method, i.e. Group A rigid taping plus conventional therapy and Group B sham taping plus conventional therapy. In conventional therapy alone i.e. faradic foot bath, stretching and strengthening exercises, Outcome measures were SEBT, VJH and IAT. The measurements were taken very first day prior to the taping and at the end of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th week of the taping application. Collected data were analyzed using independent t test to compare between groups and repeated measures ANOVA to compare the effects between pre and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th week. Results: There was no significant difference between both groups (p>0.05). Significant difference was observed in SEBT in all directions and VJH when compared for within weeks in both groups. Conclusion: There is no difference in effects of rigid taping with conventional therapy and sham taping with conventional therapy in improving SEBT, IAT and VJH for flat foot children.