The Acute Effect of Kinesio Taping on Balance and Proprioception

NCT06965348 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: SÜKAEK-2023 20/15
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Kinesio tape will be applied to the leg muscles of two groups of healthy and young participants using a specific taping technique. After the application of the tape, assessments of balance and proprioception will be conducted. The taping will be performed bilaterally on both legs, and for all participants, taped and untaped measurements will be carried out bilaterally on alternating days within the same week. Prior to the assessments, all participants will be asked to complete a 5-minute warm-up session on a bicycle ergometer, followed by four sets of 30-second static stretching exercises for the leg and hip muscles, with 30-second rest intervals between each set. In this way, the acute effects of kinesio taping on balance and proprioception will be investigated.

Conditions

Healthy Sedanters; Balance; Proprioception

Keywords

Kinesio Taping; Proprioception; Balance; Acute Effect

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Joint Position Sense (Proprioception) Measured by Active Joint Position Reproduction Test

  Proprioception will be assessed using the Active Joint Position Reproduction (AJPR) test with an isokinetic dynamometer. Participants will be asked to actively replicate three target knee flexion angles after passive teaching. The absolute error between the target angle and the angle reproduced by the participant will be recorded. Three trials will be performed for each angle, and the mean absolute error will be calculated for analysis. A lower error score indicates better proprioceptive accuracy.

  Within 30 minutes after kinesio taping application

• Postural Balance Assessment

  Before measurements are taken for static and dynamic balance, participants will complete a 10-minute warm-up exercise consisting of 5 minutes of low-intensity running and warm-up exercises. All participants will be allowed to do one trial before the test begins. Then, athletes will be placed on a platform and subjected to open-eye static balance tests. Measurements will be taken with the patient's feet shoulder-width apart on the CSMI-TecnoBody PK-252 balance device platform and the feet on the lines representing the x and y axes of the platform and equidistant from the starting point. The tests will last 30 seconds, the body position will be maintained and the subject's position will be monitored on the screen. The test will be automatically saved at the end of 30 seconds. For Dynamic Balance, subjects will be instructed to complete the test using only the feet to minimize upper body movements.

  3 months

Study Arms (2)

Application of kinesio tape

EXPERIMENTAL

It will be applied as a facilitating taping technique for the quadriceps and hamstring muscle group as described by Kase et al. The tape will be applied from the muscle origin to its insertion (proximal to distal) for facilitation. The ends of the tape will be rounded to prevent peeling of the tape edges and to increase the length of the tape application. For the hamstring muscle group, the application will be applied from the proximal to the distal of the muscle up to the lateral and medial heads of the gastrocnemius muscle. The tape will also be applied to the quadriceps muscle from the proximal to the distal of the muscle, ending on the undersurface of the patella. The physiotherapist places the tape base without tension in the first 5 centimeters of the starting point of the hamstring muscles and quadriceps muscle. Light to moderate tension (25-50%) is applied for facilitation. The tail parts of the tape are placed on the skin without tension at a distance of 2 to 5 cm from the e

Device: Application of kinesio tape

Control group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

For the quadriceps and hamstring muscle group, kinesio tape will be applied from the muscle origin to the insertion (proximal to distal) without any tension. The ends of the tape will be rounded to prevent peeling of the tape edges and to increase the length of the tape application. For the hamstring muscle group, the application will be applied from the proximal to the distal of the muscle up to the lateral and medial heads of the gastrocnemius muscle. The tape will also be applied to the quadriceps muscle from the proximal to the distal of the muscle, ending at the lower surface of the patella.

Other: Placebo Group

Interventions

Application of kinesio tape DEVICE

The facilitating taping technique for the quadriceps and hamstring muscle group described by Kase et al. will be applied to the kinesio tape group. The tape will be applied from the muscle origin to the insertion (proximal to distal) for facilitation. The application for the hamstring muscle group will be applied from the proximal to the distal of the muscle up to the lateral and medial heads of the gastrocnemius muscle. The tape will be applied to the quadriceps muscle from the proximal to the distal of the muscle, ending on the undersurface of the patella. The physiotherapist places the tape base without tension in the first 5 centimeters of the starting point of the hamstring muscles and quadriceps muscle. Light to moderate tension (25-50%) is applied for facilitation. The tail parts of the tape are placed on the skin without tension at a distance of 2 to 5.

Application of kinesio tape

Placebo Group OTHER

The application for the hamstring muscle group will be applied from the proximal to the distal of the muscle up to the lateral and medial heads of the gastrocnemius muscle. The tape will also be applied to the quadriceps muscle from the proximal to the distal of the muscle, ending at the lower surface of the patella.The placebo group will have tape applied to the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups without any tension.

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 30 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male individuals aged between 18 and 30 years
• Healthy with no known musculoskeletal disorders
• Voluntarily agrees to participate in the study
• Has no contraindications to physical activity or kinesio taping
• Provides written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• History of musculoskeletal injury within the last 6 months
• Presence of any vestibular or auditory disorders
• Active cellulitis or skin infection at the application site
• Open wounds or history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Known allergy to kinesio tape or related materials

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ondokuz Mayıs University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Ondokuz Mayıs University

Samsun, 55139, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: In this double-blind study, both the participants and the outcomes assessor were masked to the type of kinesio taping (real or placebo) applied to each leg. The kinesio tape was applied by a separate researcher who did not participate in any of the assessments. Participants were unaware of which leg received the real intervention and which received the placebo taping. This approach was used to minimize bias in both participant response and outcome measurement.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Ass.Prof.

Model Details: Each participant will receive both the real kinesio taping and placebo taping interventions. One leg will be randomly assigned to the experimental (real taping) condition and the other leg to the control (placebo) condition. This within-subject crossover design allows for direct comparison of intervention effects.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 2, 2025
• First Posted: May 11, 2025
• Study Start: November 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: February 15, 2025
• Study Completion: May 1, 2025
• Last Updated: August 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Locations

TU (1)