Relationship between trapezius muscle activity and typing speed: taping effect

Abstract

Clinically, over-activation of upper trapezius (UT) muscular activity is a common cause of symptoms in computer users. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between trapezius muscular activity and typing speed with and without taping. Twelve participants performed a typing task for 15 min with and without taping on the UT muscle. Electromyography (EMG) of the muscular activity of UT and lower trapezius (LT) was recorded. With or without taping, there was a significantly positive correlation (r = 0.40, p = 0.04) between typing speed and UT/LT. Additionally, UT and UT/LT ratios were lower with taping than without taping (difference = 5.2% and 26.9%). The LT ratio was higher with taping than without taping (difference = 5.8%). Taping can alter the muscular activity of the trapezius during typing and may have the potential to be applied in computer users to prevent over-activation of UT muscular activity. Practitioner Summary: The effect of taping was tested on typing speed and trapezius muscular activity. With or without taping, typing speed was correlated with trapezius activity. The muscle activity of the trapezius, however, was lower with taping than without taping. Thus, taping has the potential to prevent over-activation of UT muscular activity during typing.