Research Review from Steve Stahl RT Australia – Thank you Steve!
Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is believed to be associated with an impairment in proprioception that may occur following a primary ankle sprain or as a sequelae of multiple ankle sprains. When ligamentous damage has occurred, the proprioceptive input from the ligamentous complex may not be as accurate as it would have been pre-injury. Kinesiology tape is thought to potentially improve proprioception by improving the cutaneous input to the brain. This cutaneous proprioceptive input could be much more important when the accuracy of the ligamentous input has been compromised through injury.
This study investigated the role of kinesiology type in improving proprioceptive input in a simple step-down task. The study involved 30 subjects, 15 with CAI and 15 people without CAI. The apparatus used to test the ankle proprioception was called the “Ankle Inversion Discrimination Apparatus for Landing”. This involved the subjects stepping off a platform onto a sloping platform on the testing foot, creating an inversion position of the ankle. There were four different slopes for the landing platform, and the subjects were required to report whether the slope was 1,2,3 or 4 where 1=10⁰, 2=12⁰, 3=14⁰ or 4=16⁰. This testing procedure is thought to reproduce real-life scenarios where ankle sprains occur, rather than previously used testing such as Joint Position Reproduction (JPR) testing, which is often done in non-weight bearing positions.
The subjects completed the testing barefoot first and then were randomised to complete the next trials with either short taping, mid-length taping and long-length taping. Essentially, the short taping involved the foot and ankle, the mid-length taping finished approximately the mid-lower leg and the long-length typing extended just above the knee. For each taping condition, the subjects completed a total of 40 trials: 10 for each inversion angle presented in random order, and no feedback was provided as to whether each reported slope angle was correct or incorrect during the trial.
As expected, those with CAI performed worse than those without CAI. For the CAI group, the statistically significant results came from the mid- and long-length taping. For the individuals without CAI, only the long-length taping showed a statistically positive effect.
The longer length of taping may provide more proprioceptive input through the cutaneous system due to the coverage of greater skin areas and, therefore, may have produced greater cutaneous shear strains when the ankle moved. For the non-CAI group, the improvement may have come from the tape extending above the knee, potentially improving the movement patterning of the whole kinetic chain.
Therefore, clinically, when rehabilitating someone with CAI, it may be beneficial to include mid- to long tape lengths to augment their proprioception whilst they are performing their rehabilitation exercises. Kinesiology tape has never been the preferred tape for “return to sport” situations where mechanical stability is required, and rigid tape or bracing will always be the preferred option in this scenario. However, this study suggests that kinesiology tape may help assist people in their day-to-day function whilst recovering from an ankle sprain and for controlled rehabilitation or training situations where rigid tape may be overkill.
Yu, R., Yang Z., Witchalls, J., Adams R., Waddington G. & Han J. (2021). Kinesiology tape length and ankle inversion proprioception at step-down landing in individuals with chronic ankle instability. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 24 894–899