Effects of Kinesio Tape on kinesiophobia, balance and functional performance of athletes with post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A Pilot Trial

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio Taping on Kinesiophobia (fear of re-injury), balance and functional performance in athletes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 20 athletes with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (mean age 32.35 ± 6.25 years) at the time of return to sport. The participants were selected using purposive sampling approach and they were randomly assigned to kinesio tape group (n=10) or placebo kinesio tape group (n=10). While subjects under taped, the following outcomes were measured at baseline, ten minutes after the intervention, and two days later. Kinesiophobia, balance, strength, functional / agility performance was assessed by Tampa Scale, Y balance test (YBT), single leg hops and 10-yard extremity functional test, respectively. Data were analyzed using the repeated measure analysis of variance (RMANOVA) in the SPSS v.23.Results: Two days after Kinesio taping, the difference between the scores obtained in the first and the second measurements for all variables in the kinesio tape group was not significantly different rather than placebo kinesio tape group (all P> 0.05). The difference between scores of the third and the first measurements of all variables was also not significantly different in the kinesio tape group compared to the placebo kinesio tape group (all P> 0.05). In the kinesio tape and placebo kinesio tape groups, RMANOVA indicated that the differences in all variables scores were significant over time (P < 0.001), Sidak post-hoc test indicated that the differences between the first and the second measurements, as well as between the first and the third measurements were significant (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Kinesio taping reduced kinesiophobia and provided more improvement in balance, agility and functional performance of athletes with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, but these effects were too small to be clinically worthwhile. Trial registration: This study was registered in the Iranian Clinical Trial Center with the code IRCT20190130042556N1, https://www.irct.ir/trial/37312, registered 12 February 2019. Keywords: Kinesio tape, Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, Fear, Physical Functional Performance, Balance