The Influence of Kinesio Tape and an Ankle Brace on the Lower Extremity Joint Motion in Fatigued, Unstable Ankles during a Lateral Drop Landing

Cheng-Chieh Lin, Wan-Chin Lee, Jih-Ching Chen, Shing-Jye Chen and Cheng-Feng Lin
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Cheng-Chieh Lin: Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
Wan-Chin Lee: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
Jih-Ching Chen: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
Shing-Jye Chen: Department of Product Design, College of Design, Tainan University of Technology, Tainan 71002, Taiwan
Cheng-Feng Lin: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: Background: An unstable ankle along with plantar flexor muscle fatigue may exacerbate landing performance. External support may be an option to control the ankle motion and protect joints from injuries. Research goal: To investigate the immediate changes in the joint motion of a lower extremity under ankle plantar flexors fatigue conditions in athletes with unstable ankles using different external supports. Methods: A total of 44 participants were allocated to a control (Cn) group, an ankle brace (AB) group, and a kinesio tape (KT) group, and were asked to perform a lateral drop landing before and after a fatigue protocol. The outcome measures were fatigue-induced changes in the maximal joint angle and changes in the angle ranges of the hip, knee, and ankle. Results: Smaller changes in the maximal hip abduction were found in the AB group ( p = 0.025), and the KT group exhibited smaller changes in the maximal ankle dorsiflexion ( p = 0.009). The AB group landed with a smaller change in the range of hip flexion and knee flexion ( p = 0.008 and 0.006). The Cn group had greater fatigue-induced changes in the COM range than AB and KT group ( p = 0.002 and 0.028). Significance: Despite the beneficial effect in the postural control in the frontal plane, the use of AB might constrain the distal joint motion which might lead to an extended knee landing posture resulting in secondary injuries to the knee joint. Therefore, the use of AB in conjunction with an additional training of landing strategy might be recommended from the injury prevention perspective.

Keywords: functional ankle instability; external support; kinematics; ankle plantar flexor; landing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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