TAPING TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF ELITE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WITH CHRONIC ANKLE INSTABILITY

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the effects of taping techniques on functional performance tests in elite football players with chronic ankle instability. Design: Cross-over experimental design Setting: English Premier league football club Participants: Eighteen elite football players with a defined previous ankle injury and diagnosis of chronic ankle instability using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool. Main outcome measures: Vertical jump height, dynamic postural stability and agility measures were calculated using three functional performance tests: Vertical Jump test, Star Excursion Balance Test and Agility T-test. The tests were performed in three different taping interventions: athletic tape, kinesio tape and no tape. Results: Agility time was significantly slower (p <0.05) with athletic tape (9.88 ± 0.81) when compared to kinesio tape (9.30 ± 0.41) and no tape (9.25 ± 0.36), reflecting a large effect size in both comparisons (ES >1.4). Jump height and postural stability were not significantly affected by taping intervention (p>0.05). 3 Conclusions: Athletic tape reduces agility speed in elite male footballers with chronic ankle instability. Kinesio tape has no benefit over athletic tape when considering jump height and dynamic postural stability.