Effects of Three Prophylactic Tape Methods on Kinematics and Muscle Pre-activation in Chronic Ankle Instability

Abstract

Prophylactic taping of the ankle is commonly used to prevent ankle sprains. Data supports the use of ankle taping strategies for limiting excessive range of motion often associated with ankle injuries. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the effects of ankle taping techniques on kinematics and muscle pre-activation in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). PURPOSE: To observe the effects of traditional tape (TT), fibular repositioning tape (FRT), and kinesiology tape (KT) on kinematics and muscle pre-activation during a stop-jump task in individuals with and without CAI. METHODS: A total of 28 subjects (14 healthy: age = 27.57 ± 3.23 years, height = 169.61 ± 8.33 cm, weight = 76.98 ± 17.95 kg; 14 CAI: age = 24.07 ± 4.46 years, height = 175.06 ± 5.09 cm, weight = 82.24 ± 10.38 kg) participated in the study. After collecting EMG data of reference voluntary contraction (RVC) by maximal vertical jump, all 6 EMG signals (tibialis anterior [TA], soleus [SOL], rectus femoris [RF], peroneus longus [PL], biceps femoris [BF], gluteus medius [GM]) were normalized by RVC. % RVC and lower extremity kinematics in the frontal and sagittal planes were collected at 100 ms prior to initial contact. All participants were assigned to three different tape applications applied in a randomized order. Participants executed the stop-jump task baseline assessment without tape and then with TT, FRT, and KT respectively. To examine differences in muscle pre-activation and kinematics, a 2-way mixed ANOVA (2 groups * 4 condition) was performed. RESULTS: A significant interaction was observed in soleus pre-activation (F(3,78) = 5.913; p < .05; η2 = .185). The CAI group demonstrated significantly decreased SOL pre-activation after applying FRT and KT (baseline = 3.76 ± 2.41%; FRT = 1.40 ± 1.22 %, P< .05; KT = 1.45 ± 1.08 %, P < .05). The healthy group only displayed significantly reduced SOL pre-activation after receiving the KT application (baseline = 2.70 ± 1.47 %; KT = 1.20 ± 1.14 %, P< .05). No significant differences in joint angles were found between condition or group. CONCLUSION: In contrast to previous findings, KT application reduced SOL pre-activation. Further research is needed to examine if reduced SOL pre-activation after KT and FRT influences joint mechanics, which may affect the efficacy of the taping techniques.