Acute Effects of Reverse Kinesio Taping on Knee Muscle Strength, Fatigue Index and H/Q Ratio in Healthy Subjects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Kinesio Tape (KT) is one of the most common taping methods used to prevent injuries, rehabilitate injured athletes, and improve muscle performance. But there are no studies investigating the acute effect of reverse taping on the isokinetic muscle strength. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of KT applied to quadriceps (Q) and hamstring (H) muscles on knee extension (Ex) and flexion (Flx) strength, H/Q ratio, and fatigue index (FI). METHODS: In total, 17 healthy male subjects with a history of regular physical activity for at least 3 years participated in the study voluntarily. The muscle facilitation and muscle inhibition techniques of KT were applied in reverse direction to the Q and H muscles, and concentric/concentric isokinetic Ex and Flx strengths of the knee were measured at 60, 180, and 240°/s. Isokinetic Ex and Flx strengths were measured without any application of KT, in trial 1 (T1). In trial 2 (T2), muscle facilitation was applied to Q, and muscle inhibition was applied to H. In trial 3 (T3), muscle facilitation was applied to H, and muscle inhibition was applied to Q. A body analyzer was used for height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) values. RESULTS: As for the strength, T2 showed higher scores compared to T1 and T3 at all angular velocities (P< 0.05). The values of the H/Q ratio at T2 were higher than at T1 at 180 and 240°/s (P< 0.05). No significant difference was found in the mean FI values between the trials at any of the test velocities. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous facilitation and inhibition, applied to Q and H, respectively, had a positive effect on both the Ex and Flx strengths and also on H/Q ratio at high angular velocities (180°and 240°) in healthy individuals. The mechanism responsible for this improvement is probably associated with creating different tensions in Q and H muscle groups by the reverse application of KT. © 2019 IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.