Context: Certified athletic trainers can choose different types of external compression (none, Flex-i-Wrap, and elastic wrap) when applying an ice bag to the body. However, which type facilitates the greatest magnitude of tissue cooling is unclear.Objective: To compare the effects of 2 common types of external compression on the magnitude of surface and intramuscular cooling during an ice-bag treatment.Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: University research laboratory.Patients or Other Participants: Fourteen college students (10 women, 4 men; age 5 22.4 6 1.8 years, height 5 169.1 6 8.2 cm, mass 5 73.3 6 18.5 kg, skinfold 5 13.14 6 1.61 mm) with previous cryotherapy experience and a posterior lower leg skinfold equal to or less than 15 mm.Intervention(s): On 3 different days separated by 24 to 48 hours, an ice bag was applied to the posterior lower leg surface of each participant for 30 minutes with no compression, with elastic wrap, or with Flex-i-Wrap.Main Outcome Measure(s): Posterior lower leg surface and intramuscular (2 cm) temperatures were recorded for 95 minutes.Results: At 15 minutes, the elastic wrap produced greater surface temperature reduction than no compression (P 5 .03); this difference remained throughout the protocol (P range, .03 to .04). At 30 minutes, surface temperatures were 14.956C, 11.556C, and 9.496C when an ice bag was applied with no external compression, Flex-i-Wrap, and elastic wrap, respectively. Surface temperatures between Flex-i-Wrap and elastic wrap and between Flex-i-Wrap and no compression were never different. At 10 minutes, Flex-i-Wrap (P 5 .006) and elastic wrap (P , .001) produced greater intramuscular temperature reduction than no compression produced; these differences remained throughout the protocol. At 10 minutes, no compression, Flex-iWrap, and elastic wrap decreased intramuscular temperature by 1.346C, 2.466C, and 2.736C, respectively. At 25 minutes, elastic wrap (8.036C) produced greater temperature reduction than Flexi-Wrap (6.656C) (P 5 .03) or no compression (4.636C) (P , .001 ). These differences remained throughout ice application and until 50 minutes after ice-bag removal.Conclusions: During an ice-bag application, external compression with elastic wrap was more effective than Flex-i-Wrap at reducing intramuscular tissue temperature. Elastic wraps should be used for acute injury care.Key Words: intramuscular temperatures, surface temperatures, insulation Key Points N External compression of an ice bag with an elastic wrap provided greater temperature reduction after a 30-minute treatment than did compression with Flex-i-Wrap. N Intramuscular temperature decreases were different but surface temperature decreases were not different between Flex-iWrap and elastic wrap compression.N Intramuscular temperature was lower with compression than with no compression at 10 minutes and was lower with elastic wrap than with Flex-i-Wrap at 25 minutes.N Compression with elastic wrap demonstrated a higher average atmosphere-interface temperature than the other con...

Context: Rounded shoulder posture is a common problem in the athletic population. Recently Kinesio tape has been utilized to improve balance, proprioception, and posture. However, the literature has been unable to provide definitive answers on the efficacy of Kinesio tape use. Objective: To determine the immediate effect of the limb rotational Kinesio tape application on the dynamic balance and proprioception of the shoulder measured by the Y-Balance Upper Quarter Test (YBT-UQ) in male collegiate athletes. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Sports medicine research laboratory.Participants: Nineteen healthy male collegiate National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics athletes (including rodeo, baseball, football, and soccer) with a mean age of 19.8 (1.4) years. Interventions: Subjects were randomized into Kinesio tape and non-Kinesio tape groups. The limb rotational Kinesio tape application was applied to the Kinesio tape group, while the non-Kinesio tape group received no intervention. Each group performed the YBT-UQ, which requires reaching in 3 directions in a push-up position, before and after the randomized intervention on a single day. Main Outcome Measures: The variables of interest included the maximum reach distance in each of the 3 directions and the composite score for both trials between the Kinesio tape and non-Kinesio tape groups. Each score was normalized against the subject’s limb length. Results: No statistically significant improvements in any YBT-UQ scores were observed following either the Kinesio tape or non-Kinesio tape intervention. Conclusions: Applying the limb rotational Kinesio tape technique did not improve immediate YBT-UQ scores in a male collegiate athletic population with rounded shoulder posture. The use of Kinesio tape to improve immediate closed kinetic chain function in male collegiate athletes with rounded shoulder posture cannot be supported.

No abstract

Context Tensegrity is a structural-organization model initially described in the architecture and design fields. By applying tensegrity design principles to biological structures, scientists have developed biotensegrity to explain a complex systems-on-systems structural-organization philosophy for integrated human movements. Objective To provide a brief historical overview of tensegrity and biotensegrity principles, including recommendations and benefits for integrating these structural models into athletic training education. Background Tensegrity and biotensegrity structures require constant interaction between continuous tension and discontinuous compression elements that connect through focal adhesion points. During the 1970s and 1980s, scientists applied tensegrity concepts to biological organisms to create an integrated model of human structure and interaction. Since then, biotensegrity has grown as an accepted biological structural model capable of explaining complex and integrated human movements. Synthesis By teaching tensegrity and biotensegrity principles, athletic training educators can provide athletic training students with a basic and consistent human body structural model. With this knowledge, students can better comprehend the integrated kinetic chain, including current and future prevention, examination, and rehabilitation paradigms. Results Although absent from the Practice Analysis, seventh edition, and the 2020 Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education curricular content standards, tensegrity and biotensegrity relate to many injury prevention, examination, treatment, and rehabilitation concepts regularly taught in professional athletic training programs. Recommendation(s) Athletic training educators should consider ways to incorporate biotensegrity models into professional athletic training programs to improve critical thinking and whole-person health care principles of athletic training students. Conclusion(s) Integrating tensegrity and biotensegrity principles into professional athletic training programs provides a structural hierarchy of human body organization that athletic training students can apply to a multitude of current and future methodical approaches.

No abstract