Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Foot Ankle Int. 2013 Oct;34(10):1427-35. doi: 10.1177/1071100713491076. Epub 2013 May 29.
Ankle sprains are the most common injury among physically active people, with common sequelae including repeated episodes of giving way, termed functional ankle instability. Copers are a cohort in ankle research comprised of those who have sprained their ankle but have not suffered any further dysfunction. The use of an elastic tape, Kinesio Tape, in sports medicine practice has recently gained popularity and may help improve postural control deficits related to functional ankle instability. The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and prolonged effects of Kinesio Taping on postural control in healthy, coper, and unstable ankles as measured through single-limb balance on a force plate.
Sixty physically active, college-aged participants (72.5 ± 9.7 cm, 74.2 ± 16.2 kg, 21.5 ± 2.6 years) were stratified into healthy, coper, or unstable groups using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) combined with their history of ankle injury. Dependent variables included time-to-boundary (TTB) measures and traditional center of pressure (COP) measures in both the mediolateral (frontal) and anteroposterior (sagittal) planes. Testing was performed prior to tape application, immediately after application of the tape, 24 hours following tape application, and immediately after tape removal.
Significant differences between groups were observed for COP standard deviation and range in the sagittal plane. Significant differences between tape conditions for TTB absolute minima and standard deviation were also noted. Post hoc testing revealed large to medium effect sizes for the group differences and very small effect sizes for the differences between conditions.
Our study did not reveal decisively relevant changes following application of Kinesio Tape to the ankle. However, we did observe sagittal plane postural control deficits in subjects with ankle instability measured through summary COP variables over 20-second trials.
Ankle instability is a concern for many clinicians. Kinesio Taping, although a popular form of clinical intervention, remains understudied. Evidence from this study does not support the use of Kinesio Taping for improving postural control deficits in those with ankle instability.
踝关节扭伤是活跃人群中最常见的损伤，常见的后遗症包括反复出现的不稳定感，称为功能性踝关节不稳定。踝关节扭伤后没有进一步功能障碍的患者被认为是踝关节研究中的“适应者”。在运动医学实践中，弹性胶带（Kinesio Tape）的使用最近越来越受欢迎，它可能有助于改善与功能性踝关节不稳定相关的姿势控制缺陷。本研究的目的是通过足底压力测试评估 Kinesio 贴扎对健康、适应者和不稳定踝关节的即刻和长期的姿势控制影响。
60 名活跃的大学生参与者（72.5±9.7cm，74.2±16.2kg，21.5±2.6 岁）根据 Cumberland 踝关节不稳定工具（CAIT）和他们的踝关节损伤史分为健康、适应者或不稳定者。依赖变量包括边界到达时间（TTB）和传统的中心压力（COP）在额状面（横向）和矢状面（纵向）的测量。测试在贴扎前、贴扎后即刻、贴扎后 24 小时和移除贴扎后即刻进行。
在 COP 标准差和矢状面范围方面，组间存在显著差异。TTB 绝对值最小值和标准差的组间差异和组间条件差异也存在显著差异。事后检验显示，组间差异的效应量为大到中，条件间差异的效应量为非常小。
我们的研究没有发现 Kinesio 贴扎应用于踝关节后有明显相关的变化。然而，我们确实观察到在使用 20 秒试验的 COP 总变量测量踝关节不稳定的受试者中存在矢状面姿势控制缺陷。
踝关节不稳定是许多临床医生关注的问题。Kinesio 贴扎虽然是一种流行的临床干预形式，但研究仍不足。本研究的证据不支持使用 Kinesio 贴扎改善踝关节不稳定患者的姿势控制缺陷。
