Abstract
Objectives The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of nonelastic taping and dual task on ankle kinematics and kinetics in gait analysis of healthy adults. Methods A total of 21 healthy adults completed trials of gait analysis using a Vicon system combining ground walking with different cognitive task conditions (none, modified Stroop color/character naming, and serial-7 subtraction), with or without nonelastic taping. Ankle kinematics and kinetics including speed, ankle plantarflexion and inversion angle, ground reaction force (GRF), and stride time variability (STV) under all conditions of taping (YES or NO) and cognitive task (none, naming, and subtraction) were characterized and analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVA. Results As regards cognitive performance, the serial-7 subtraction performance under walking conditions with and without taping was significantly poorer than simple sitting condition (P < 0.001). For kinematics and kinetics, STV showed statistically significant decrease (P=0.02) when subjects underwent taping application. Vertical GRF was significantly greater under taping than barefoot (P=0.001). Ankle plantarflexion at initial contact (IC) under the dual-task walking was significantly more than under simple walking (P=0.008). Conclusions Applications of nonelastic taping and dual task may lead to the STV, vertical GRF, ankle plantarflexion, and speed alterations because of restricted joint range of motion and changed sensorimotor neural circuit. When healthy adults performed dual-task walking, central neural resources allocation was disturbed, leading to weakened performance in both motor and cognitive tasks.
Highlights
Ankle is one of the most vulnerable body sites in sports injuries and accounts for 10–30% of all sports injuries [1]; previous injuries could increase risk of reinjury by 88% [2]
Friedman’s test and following Dunn-Bonferroni test revealed significant effects of walking on serial subtraction performance (P < 0.001) and only significant difference of correct number of character naming tasks under barefoot walking compared with sitting (P 0.02). e serial-7 performance of barefoot and taping walking was poorer than sitting condition
We found no significant effects under taping (F 1.112, P 0.306; F 2.066, P 0.168), cognitive task (F 2.93, P 0.066; F 0.802, P 0.456), and their interaction (F 1.071, P 0.353; F 2.217, P 0.124) on anterior to posterior (AP) and ML ground reaction force (GRF), respectively
Summary
Ankle is one of the most vulnerable body sites in sports injuries and accounts for 10–30% of all sports injuries [1]; previous injuries could increase risk of reinjury by 88% [2]. Previous studies have suggested that feedforward mechanisms may change in patients with ankle injuries [4,5,6]. E positioning of the ankle before landing during walking could be considered as one of the manifestations of a feedforward mechanism [7]. E central system handling two tasks simultaneously may activate motor control-associated areas in the brain, thereby leading to dual-task costs [4]. Even simple walking requires the support of the central nervous system, as it needs high coordination of the body and motor control system activities with complete attention and cognitive ability [9]. A dual-task paradigm, where participants perform a cognitive task while walking, is typically used to investigate the relationship between cognition and gait performance [9]. A systematic review showed that the overall effects of dual task on gait include decreased speed, decreased cadence, decreased stride length, increased stride time, and increased stride time variability [10]
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