Can kinesiology tapes affect knee performance in healthy subjects?

摘要

Athletes use kinesiology tape to help work through injuries and increase performance. Kinesiology tape manufacturers claim that these tapes may improve strength, blood flow, and range of motion (ROM). The purpose of this pilot study is to analyze the validity of these claims through evaluation of biomechanical parameters (strength, ROM, muscle activity, and muscle oxygenation) that may potentially affect the performance in healthy subjects. Three tapes were tested on healthy subjects. One of the tapes (Tape 3) demonstrated improvements in knee ROM, and strength, but no changes were observed in muscle activity or oxygenation levels. No improvement was found for other two tapes. Based on the results, further research involving a fatigue protocol would be beneficial to possibly reveal more evident differences between tapes.