The effects of Kinesiotaping on quadriceps muscle performance at different velocities: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Kinesiotaping (KT) has become popular among athletic trainers and physical therapists. Most of KT studies investigated only the immediate responses, and only a few evaluated the long-term effects. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of 48 hours of KT on knee extensor performance of healthy subjects during isokinetic exercise at different muscle action velocities. METHODS: Twenty six healthy men were enrolled and the study presented a drop-out rate of 19%. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups: 1. KT with the tape applied for activation of rectus femoris with 40% tension 2. Control (CO) with the tape applied on rectus femoris without tension. Measurements were collected at baseline (BL) without KT, immediately (T0) post KT application, and 24 h (T24) and 48 h (T48) after KT application. The main outcome measures were Knee extension peak torque (PT), load range (LR) and time to reach the PT (TPT). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between KT and CO for PT, LR or TPT at 60 or 240°/s, and no significant differences on time (BL, IMD, 24 h and 48 h) for both groups. CONCLUSION: Kinesiotaping did not enhance knee extensor neuromuscular performance of healthy men at different muscle action velocities. An important finding was that the continued use of the Kinesiotaping (48 h) did not influence muscle performance.