No adverse events were reported .
Kinesiotape may produce different effects in healthy and injured ankles .
In healthy ankles , kinesiotape may increase postural control , whereas in injured ankles it may improve proprioception , plantarflexor endurance and the performance of activities .
CONCLUSIONS It is recommended that kinesiotape may be used in clinical practice to prevent lateral ankle injuries ( through its effects on postural control ) and manage lateral ankle injuries due to its positive effects on proprioception , muscle endurance and activity performance .
It appears that kinesiotape may not provide sufficient mechanical support to improve postural control in unstable ankles .
OBJECTIVE To identify , evaluate and synthesis e evidence on the effect of kinesiotape applied to the lateral aspect of the ankle , through a systematic review of quantitative studies .
The effect of kinesio® tape on vertical jump and dynamic postural control.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries among physically active individuals . The role of prophylactic ankle taping and bracing has been studied extensively . Kinesio ( ® ) Tape ( KT ) is a somewhat new type of taping technique gaining popularity as both treatment and performance enhancement tool . However , there is limited research on the effect of KT on functional performance . PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether the application of Kinesio Tex ( ® ) Tape had an effect on vertical jump and dynamic postural control in healthy young individuals . METHODS 52 healthy subjects free of ankle or lower extremity problems ( 28 males and 24 females ; age : 22.12±2.08 years ; height : 170.77±8.69 cm ; weight : 69.90±12.03 kg ) participated in the study . Subjects were r and omly assigned to either the experimental group ( KT with tension ) or the control group ( KT without tension )  . Vertical jump was measured using the VertiMetric device and dynamic postural control was assessed using the Star Excursion Balance Test ( SEBT ) under three conditions : ( 1 ) without taping ; ( 2 ) immediately after taping ; ( 3 ) 24 hours after taping with the taping remaining in situ . RESULTS Three-way repeated measure ANOVA was conducted in order to identify differences between the experimental and the control group during the three conditions . Overall , there were no differences between groups in vertical jump maximum height , vertical jump average height , or the SEBT scores for the three time periods ( pre-test , post-test , 24hrs-post-test ) . However , the main effect of KT was moderated by a significant gender interaction , result ing in a statistically significant effect of KT for the SEBT scores in the posterior-medial direction , F(1.72 , 82.57 ) = 4.50 , p = 0.018 and the medial direction , F(1.75 , 83.81 ) = 4.27 , p = 0.021 . Follow-up analyses indicated that female subjects in the KT group had increased SEBT scores between three time periods when compared to the placebo group . DISCUSSION KT application on the ankle neither decreased nor increased vertical jump height in healthy non-injured young individuals , but did increase dynamic postural control in females for certain directions . Additional study is warranted using different measures of balance to further investigate the effect of KT on dynamic postural control . LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2b
No adverse events were reported .
Kinesiotape may produce different effects in healthy and injured ankles .
In healthy ankles , kinesiotape may increase postural control , whereas in injured ankles it may improve proprioception , plantarflexor endurance and the performance of activities .
CONCLUSIONS It is recommended that kinesiotape may be used in clinical practice to prevent lateral ankle injuries ( through its effects on postural control ) and manage lateral ankle injuries due to its positive effects on proprioception , muscle endurance and activity performance .
It appears that kinesiotape may not provide sufficient mechanical support to improve postural control in unstable ankles .
OBJECTIVE To identify , evaluate and synthesis e evidence on the effect of kinesiotape applied to the lateral aspect of the ankle , through a systematic review of quantitative studies .