Effects of Athletic Taping on Performance of Basketball Athletes With Chronic Ankle Instability

Abstract

Introduction: Ankle sprains are recurrent injuries in basketball, hence more and more athletes are taping their ankles to promote joint stability, aiming at improving dynamic balance and, consequently, functional performance. Objective: To verify the effects of elastic and rigid athletic taping on the functional performance and level of comfort of basketball players with chronic ankle instability. Methods: Twenty-one athletes aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age 23.7 ± 3.2) with chronic ankle instability (CAI), verified using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool, were selected to take part in this study. The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and the Figure-of-8 hop test (F8) were applied unilaterally to assess functional performance, considering the ankle of greater instability in three situations: without athletic taping, with rigid athletic taping and with elastic athletic taping. A draw was held to determine the order in which the tests (held over a number of days) would be applied. A questionnaire was conducted to assess comfort on the same day the athletic tapes were applied. Results: There was no significant difference between the tests in any direction of the SEBT, but there was a significant difference in F8 between the rigid athletic taping x control and elastic athletic taping x control situations. In addition, the elastic athletic tape was considered significantly more comfortable than the rigid athletic tape. Conclusion: Athletic taping appears to effectively improve the dynamic balance and functional performance of athletes with CAI only in activities that cause considerable joint stress, as is the case in F8. Elastic athletic tape appears to be just as effective as rigid athletic tape in these situations, in addition to being a significantly more comfortable alternative. Levef of Evidence I; High quality randomized trial with statistically significant difference or no statistically significant difference but narrow confidence intervals.

Kinesio taping does not improve ankle functional or performance in people with or without ankle injuries: Systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Forty-five studies investigating the effect of Kinesio taping on balance of four different populations were included and the tools/analyses used were the star excursion balance test, 26 –41 center of pressure behavior (force plate), 32,42 –52 stabilometer devices 53 –62 or errors during postural control (flamingo test, ballet movements, hop test, Balance Error Scoring System and single-legged stance). 26,39 –41,51,63 –69 Meta-analyses were carried out for healthy and older people, and people with chronic ankle instability.…”

“…Twenty-two studies investigated the effects of Kinesio taping on jump performance measured as jump distance, height, flight time, execution time, power, velocity, impact, stiffness and rate of force development, in three populations. 26,28,30,33,39,40,52,55,59,63,67,70 –80 Meta-analyses were carried out for healthy people and people with chronic ankle instability.…”

“…- People with Chronic Ankle Instability : Five studies evaluated the Kinesio taping effects on jump performance of people with chronic ankle instability; one meta-analysis (very low evidence quality) indicated that Kinesio taping applied for more than two weeks does not improve jump distance compared to control conditions (Figure 4). Three low-quality studies presented data suggesting that Kinesio taping is no better than no tape for jump performance 33,52,67 (Supplementary Material 4).…”

Is Kinesio Taping Effective for Sport Performance and Ankle Function of Athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI)? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The meta-analysis for dynamic balance was carried out on the studies of Souza et al and Gehrke et al [ 50 , 51 ], which had in common the use of the SEBT test. Data relating to dynamic balance of Alawna et al [ 53 ], in which the Y Balance Test was used, were not meta-analysed, as they were not comparable.…”

“…Agility is an athletic condition that is essential in sports such as those included in this review (football, basketball, volleyball, baseball). This skill allows players to make heterogeneous movements in rapid succession, such as changing direction, turning quickly and cutting, all activities that have a significant impact on the ankle [ 49 , 51 ].…”