Effects of kinesiotaping and athletic taping on ankle kinematics during walking in individuals with chronic ankle instability: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) tend to walk with an overly inverted foot, which increases the risk of ankle sprains during stance phase. Clinicians could perform ankle taping using kinesiotape (KT) or athletic tape (AT) to address this issue. Because KT is elastic while AT is not, the techniques and underlying mechanisms for applying these tapes are different, which may lead to different outcomes.

RESEARCH QUESTION: To compare the effects of KT and AT interventions on foot motion in the frontal plane and tibial motion in the transverse plane during stance phase of walking.

METHODS: Twenty subjects with CAI were assigned to either KT or AT group, and walked on a treadmill in no tape and taped conditions. Their foot and tibial motions were captured by 3D motion analysis system. The main component of KT application was two pieces of tape applied from the medial aspect of the hindfoot to the lateral to generate a pulling tension towards eversion. AT was applied to the ankle using the closed basket weave approach. AT was not stretchable and not able to generate the same pulling tension as KT.

RESULTS: KT increased foot eversion during early stance, but showed no effect during late stance. AT increased tibial internal rotation during late stance, but showed no effect during early stance.

SIGNIFICANCE: Compared to AT, KT better provides a flexible pulling force that facilitates foot eversion during early stance, while not restricting normal inversion in late stance during walking. KT may be a useful clinical tool in correcting aberrant motion while not limiting natural movement in sports.