The effect of exercise and time on the height and width of the medial longitudinal arch following the modified reverse-6 and the modified augmented low-dye taping procedures.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: No evidence exits regarding the magnitude of the change in foot posture following the "modified reverse-6" (MR6) taping procedure, either alone or in combination with the "low-dye" (LD) taping technique. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in the height and width of the midfoot after application of the MR6 and the MR6 plus the LD (MR6+LD) taping technique and determine how long those changes last.

METHODS

Eleven individuals (2 female and 9 male) were recruited for this study and were tested under each of two experimental conditions, the MR6 and the MR6+LD taping technique. The order of testing for the two conditions was randomly determined. For each condition, the height and width of the midfoot at 50% of each subject's foot length was initially measured and then again immediately following the application of the tape. These measurements were repeated four hours later immediately prior to running two miles on a treadmill, again immediately after running, and finally after another four hours.

RESULTS

The dorsal arch height increased significantly with both the MR6 and MR6+LD taping, but only the MR6+LD remained statistically greater after four hours, a bout of exercise and again at the end of the day. The mean width of the midfoot significantly decreased with both taping procedures. The change in the width of the midfoot remained significantly decreased in both taping conditions after exercise and throughout the day.

CONCLUSIONS

Both taping procedures are able to significantly change the height and width of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot, but the change lasted longer when the two taping procedures were combined.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE

Level 3, Prospective Cohort Study.