EFFECT OF KINESIOTAPING ON SINGLE LEG BALANCE IN TAEKWONDO ATHLETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Purpose: Balance has an important role in taekwondo athletes for injury prevention and athletic performance. Many strategies are being developed to improve balance. The kinesiotape application is also one of these methods. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of the kinesiotape application to the hip abductor muscles on the single leg balance in elite athletes. Methods: The study was conducted with 53 (28 study group, 25 control group) elite taekwondo athletes in the national team camp who did not have a lower extremity injury. The athletes were performed two balance tests at 48-hour intervals. In the balance tests, oscillations of the center of gravity of the athletes was calculated. Kinesiotape (KT) application was made to the hip abductor muscles of the study group athletes after the first measurement of the balance. The second measurement of balance was made 48-hour after the KT application. Results: As a result of the analysis of the obtained data, no statistically significant difference was found between Total Score, Anterior-Posterior (A-P) Score and Medial-Lateral (M-L) Score between first and second balance tests of the study and the control groups (p> 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, it was determined that KT application to hip abductor muscles did not effect to single leg balance in healthy elite taekwondo athletes.