Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the kinesio tape immediately after its application and after a duathlon competition on calf pain and the ankle range of motion in duathletes. A sample of 28 duathletes (age 29.11 ± 10.35 years; body height 172.57 ± 6.17 cm; body mass 66.63 ± 9.01 kg; body mass index 22.29 ± 2.00 kg/m(2)) were recruited from the competitors in a duathlon sprint. The Numerical Pain Rating Scale and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion measures were obtained at baseline, immediately after taping and 10 to 15 minutes after ending the duathlon competition. The kinesio tape was applied on the calf of duathletes 20 to 90 minutes before the competition, only on one of their legs (experimental leg) with the other leg acting as a control (control leg) in a randomized order. According to the between-group comparison, no differences were found immediately after the application of the kinesio tape and after the competition in the ankle range of motion and calf pain. However, a significant difference from baseline to immediately after taping was found in the ankle range of motion in the experimental leg. Applying the kinesio tape on the calf seems to immediately increase ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, but not after a duathlon competition. Applying the kinesio tape on the calf does not reduce muscle pain immediately or after a duathlon competition, but it appears to control an increase in pain.
Highlights
The kinesio tape (KT) is a taping technique that nowadays is frequently applied in pathologies in the musculoskeletal system, especially in the field of sports injuries (Zajt-Kwiatkowska et al, 2007)
The results of the Mann-Whitney U tests on the average obtained in the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) did not show statistically significant differences between-groups
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the KT on calf pain and extensibility in duathletes immediately after its application and after a duathlon competition
Summary
The kinesio tape (KT) is a taping technique that nowadays is frequently applied in pathologies in the musculoskeletal system, especially in the field of sports injuries (Zajt-Kwiatkowska et al, 2007). The unique qualities of the KT method may have multiple uses in sports injury prevention and likewise in performance (O’Sullivan and Bird, 2011; Vithoulk et al, 2010). Kase et al (2003) proposed several taping mechanisms with various intended outcomes depending on how the tape was applied. Using these mechanisms, different beneficial effects could be achieved, including: (1) increasing proprioception, (2) normalizing muscle tension, (3) creating more space for improving circulation, (4) correcting muscle functioning by strengthening muscle weakness, and (5) decreasing pain. The limited research on the purported benefits of the KT has yielded contradictory results (Garcia-Muro et al, 2010; Kaya et al, 2011; Paoloni et al, 2011; Thelen et al, 2008)
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