Residual mechanical effectiveness of external ankle tape before and after competitive professional soccer performance

Influence of taping on joint proprioception: a systematic review with between and within group meta-analysis

Taping is increasingly used to manage proprioceptive deficits, but existing reviews on its impact have shortcomings. To accurately assess the effects of taping, a separate meta-analyses for different population groups and tape types is needed. Therefore, both between- and within-group meta-analyses are needed to evaluate the influence of taping on proprioception. According to PRISMA guidelines, a literature search was conducted across seven databases (Web of Science, PEDro, Pubmed, EBSCO, Scopus, ERIC, SportDiscus, Psychinfo) and one register (CENTRAL) using the keywords "tape" and "proprioception". Out of 1372 records, 91 studies, involving 2718 individuals, met the inclusion criteria outlined in the systematic review. The meta-analyses revealed a significant between and within-group reduction in repositioning errors with taping compared to no tape (Hedge's g: -0.39, p < 0.001) and placebo taping (Hedge's g: -1.20, p < 0.001). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses further confirmed the reliability of the overall between and within-group analyses. The between-group results further demonstrated that both elastic tape and rigid tape had similar efficacy to improve repositioning errors in both healthy and fatigued populations. Additional analyses on the threshold to detection of passive motion and active movement extent discrimination apparatus revealed no significant influence of taping. In conclusion, the findings highlight the potential of taping to enhance joint repositioning accuracy compared to no tape or placebo taping. Further research needs to uncover underlying mechanisms and refine the application of taping for diverse populations with proprioceptive deficits.

Does ankle tape improve proprioception acuity immediately after application and following a netball session? A randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether ankle tape applied by a Sport and Exercise Physiotherapist (SEP) or self-applied by the athlete results in a change in proprioception and whether it is maintained during a netball session.

DESIGN

Randomised controlled trial.

SETTING

Australian Institute of Sport.

PARTICIPANTS

53 pre-elite netball athletes.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Athlete proprioception was assessed using the Active Movement Extent Discrimination Apparatus (AMEDA) on four occasions for each taping condition: 1) pre-tape, 2) post-tape, 3) post-netball & 4) post-netball no-tape.

RESULTS

Mixed effect linear models were used for analysis. A significant increase in proprioception was observed when self-tape: 0.022 (95% CI: [-0.000 - 0.044], p = 0.05), and SEP tape: 0.034 (95% CI: [0.012-0.055], p < 0.01), were initially applied. These improvements were maintained during a netball session for both, self-taping: 0.01 (95% CI: [-0.01 - 0.02], p = 0.45) and SEP-taping: <0.01 (95% CI: [-0.02 - 0.01], p = 0.56). Results also indicate there was no significant difference between taping conditions (β = -0.001, 95% CI: [-0.02 - 0.02], p = 0.90).

CONCLUSIONS

Proprioception improves and is maintained during a netball session with either SEP or self-applied taping.

["Stay and play" in football : Art of keeping players fit to play]

Many publications about the treatment and return to play after severe football injuries are available from the scientific literature, particularly about injuries requiring surgery. In contrast, less severe football injuries, such as muscle strains, ankle sprains and contusions, are less well addressed in the literature although these represent the most frequent type of injury. Additionally, such reports often have a low level of evidence and guidelines on treatment and the return to play process are very rare. Thus, the time away from football and the timing of return to play after minor injuries depends on the experience and skills of the responsible medical team. To achieve the aim of stay and play on the field, the medical team should be highly knowledgeable in interdisciplinary football medicine, prevention strategies, first aid on the field, clinical and manual diagnostics, tissue regeneration, symptomatic and conservative treatment as well as in return to play decision-making. No consensus exists on stay and play procedures neither on the practical level nor on the scientific level regarding injury definition, the diagnostic and treatment options and stay and play criteria. Therefore, this article presents the first steps for assessing stay and play strategies after minor injuries to standardize and improve practical routine, education and scientific research.

Evaluating Postural Control and Ankle Laxity Between Taping and High-Top Cleats in High School Football Players

CONTEXT

Lateral ankle sprains are the most common injuries in high school sports. While ankle taping is a preferred method of external prophylactic support, its restrictive properties decline during exercise. The Under Armour^® Highlight cleat is marketed on the premise that it provides added support without the need for additional ankle taping.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if differences in ankle joint laxity and postural control exist between football players wearing the Under Armour^® Highlight cleat (Under Armour Inc, Baltimore, MD) as compared to a low/mid-top cleat with ankle tape.

DESIGN

Crossover trial.

SETTING

Athletic training room and football practice field sideline.

PATIENTS

32 interscholastic football players (15.8 ± 1.0 y; 178.9 ± 7.4 cm; 87.1 ± 21.4 kg).

INTERVENTIONS

Ankle laxity was assessed using an instrumented ankle arthrometer (Blue Bay Research Inc, Milton, FL), while postural control testing was performed on the Tekscan MobileMat™ Balanced Error Scoring System (BESS; South Boston, MA). The 2 treatments included Under Armour^® Highlight cleats and a low/mid-top cleat with ankle tape applied to the nondominant ankle only. Measurements were taken before and immediately after practice.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The independent variable was treatment (Highlight vs low/mid-top cleat with ankle tape). Dependent variables included ankle arthrometry measures of anterior displacement (mm), inversion/eversion rotation (deg), and the modified BESS error scores. A linear mixed-effects model was used for analysis.

RESULTS

The low/mid-top cleat with tape condition had significantly higher inversion range-of-motion (ROM) and inversion/eversion rotation postexercise when compared to the Highlight cleat (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study provide some evidence that the Under Armour^® Highlight cleat restricts ankle ROM following a training session better than the taped low/mid-top cleat. Further study is warranted to determine if this high-top style of football cleat can reduce the incidence of ankle sprains and how it might compare to spat taping.

The effects of fast bowling fatigue and adhesive taping on shoulder joint position sense in amateur cricket players in Victoria, Australia

The impact that muscle fatigue and taping have on proprioception in an applied sporting context remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate disturbances in position sense at the shoulder joint, and asses the effectiveness of adhesive tape in preventing injury and improving performance, after a bout of cricket fast bowling. Among amateur cricket players (N = 14), shoulder position sense, maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force and bowling accuracy was assessed before and immediately after a fatiguing exercise bout of fast bowling. Participants were tested with the shoulder taped and untapped. Shoulder extension MVC force dropped immediately and 30 min after the exercise (P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively). Position sense errors increased immediately after exercise (P < 0.05), shifting in the direction of shoulder extension for all measurements. Taping had no effect on position errors before exercise, but did significantly reduce position errors after exercise at mid-range shoulder flexion angles (45° and 60°; P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively). Taping had no significant effect on bowling accuracy. These findings may be explained by a body map shift towards a gravity neutral position. Added cutaneous input from the tape is proposed to contribute more to shoulder position sense when muscles are fatigued.

Preventive lateral ligament tester (PLLT): a novel method to evaluate mechanical properties of lateral ankle joint ligaments in the intact ankle

PURPOSE

To construct and evaluate an ankle arthrometer that registers inversion joint deflection at standardized inversion loads and that, moreover, allows conclusions about the mechanical strain of intact ankle joint ligaments at these loads.

METHODS

Twelve healthy ankles and 12 lower limb cadaver specimens were tested in a self-developed measuring device monitoring passive ankle inversion movement (Inv-ROM) at standardized application of inversion loads of 5, 10 and 15 N. To adjust in vivo and in vitro conditions, the muscular inactivity of the evertor muscles was assured by EMG in vivo. Preliminary, test-retest and trial-to-trial reliabilities were tested in vivo. To detect lateral ligament strain, the cadaveric calcaneofibular ligament was instrumented with a buckle transducer. After post-test harvesting of the ligament with its bony attachments, previously obtained resistance strain gauge results were then transferred to tensile loads, mounting the specimens with their buckle transducers into a hydraulic material testing machine.

RESULTS

ICC reliability considering the Inv-ROM and torsional stiffness varied between 0.80 and 0.90. Inv-ROM ranged from 15.3° (±7.3°) at 5 N to 28.3° (±7.6) at 15 N. The different tests revealed a CFL tensile load of 31.9 (±14.0) N at 5 N, 51.0 (±15.8) at 10 N and 75.4 (±21.3) N at 15 N inversion load.

CONCLUSIONS

A highly reliable arthrometer was constructed allowing not only the accurate detection of passive joint deflections at standardized inversion loads but also reveals some objective conclusions of the intact CFL properties in correlation with the individual inversion deflections. The detection of individual joint deflections at predefined loads in correlation with the knowledge of tensile ligament loads in the future could enable more individual preventive measures, e.g., in high-level athletes.

Assessing performance, stability, and cleat comfort/support in collegiate club soccer players using prophylactic ankle taping and bracing

Soccer athletes at all levels of play are keenly aware of their equipment needs including cleat wear, and want to be protected from injury but without impeding on-field performance. Ankle injury is a common disorder that is prevalent in the sport of soccer and recent improvements in ankle prophylaxis interventions have proven effective. The aim of this study was to determine if the use of elastic taping or a neoprene sleeve alters performance, stability, and cleat comfort/support in soccer players compared to wearing a soccer cleat without any external support. Twenty male collegiate club soccer players were recruited and randomly assigned to the three conditions (untaped control, taped, neoprene sleeve). Performance testing and comfort/support assessment for each condition took place in one on-field test session, while stability testing was completed during a separate laboratory session. The only significant finding was improved inversion/eversion stability in both the tape and sleeve conditions as compared to the cleated condition. The addition of tape or a sleeve did not have an adverse effect on performance or comfort during functional and stability testing, and should therefore be considered as a method to decrease ankle injuries in soccer athletes as external supports provide increased stability in inversion/eversion range of motion.

Effect of kinesiotaping, non-elastic taping and bracing on segmental foot kinematics during drop landing in healthy subjects and subjects with chronic ankle instability

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of kinesiotape, non-elastic tape, and soft brace on segmental foot kinematics during drop landing in subjects with chronic ankle instability and healthy subjects.

DESIGN

Controlled study with repeated measurements.

SETTING

Three-dimensional motion analysis laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty participants with chronic ankle instability and 20 healthy subjects.

INTERVENTIONS

The subjects performed drop landings with 17 retroreflective markers on the foot and lower leg in four conditions: barefoot, with kinesiotape, with non-elastic tape and with a soft brace.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Ranges of motion of foot segments using a foot measurement method.

RESULTS

In participants with chronic ankle instability, midfoot movement in the frontal plane (inclination of the medial arch) was reduced significantly by non-elastic taping, but kinesiotaping and bracing had no effect. In healthy subjects, both non-elastic taping and bracing reduced that movement. In both groups, non-elastic taping and bracing reduced rearfoot excursion in inversion/eversion significantly, which indicates a stabilisation effect. No such effect was found with kinesiotaping. All three methods reduced maximum plantar flexion significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-elastic taping stabilised the midfoot best in patients with chronic ankle instability, while kinesiotaping did not influence foot kinematics other than to stabilise the rearfoot in the sagittal plane.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01810471.

Fibular taping does not alter lower extremity spinal reflex excitability in individuals with chronic ankle instability

OBJECTIVE

To determine changes in spinal reflex excitability of the soleus and fibularis longus muscles before and after fibular taping intervention.

METHODS

Twenty-one individuals (age = 23.4 ± 2.7 y, height = 171.0 ± 12.8 cm, mass = 69.7 ± 11.8 kg) with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and at least 5° ankle dorsiflexion asymmetry volunteered for this randomised crossover design study. Each participant received a fibular taping with tension or fibular taping without tension during separate sessions. Spinal reflex excitability of the soleus and fibularis longus was determined by obtaining maximum values for H-reflex (Hoffmann reflex) and maximum compound muscle action potential (Mmax), which was expressed as a ratio (H/M ratio). Measures were obtained immediately before and after a fibular taping intervention.

RESULTS

The application of tape to the fibula, regardless of tension, did not produce a change in spinal reflex excitability for the soleus (F1,39 = .01, P = .91) or fibularis longus (F1,39 = .001, P = .99).

CONCLUSIONS

Fibular taping with and without tension did not result in an immediate change in spinal reflex excitability of the soleus or fibularis longus in individuals with CAI. Although fibular taping has been shown to reduce recurrent ankle sprains in individuals with CAI, the mechanism of effectiveness may not involve an immediate increase in spinal reflex excitability.