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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Aug 1:21:2232-9.
doi: 10.12659/MSM.894150.

Kinesiology Taping does not Modify Electromyographic Activity or Muscle Flexibility of Quadriceps Femoris Muscle: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study in Healthy Volleyball Players

Tomasz Halski  1 , Robert Dymarek  2 , Kuba Ptaszkowski  3 , Lucyna Słupska  4 , Katarzyna Rajfur  4 , Joanna Rajfur  1 , Małgorzata Pasternok  1 , Agnieszka Smykla  5 , Jakub Taradaj  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Kinesiology Taping does not Modify Electromyographic Activity or Muscle Flexibility of Quadriceps Femoris Muscle: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study in Healthy Volleyball Players

Tomasz Halski et al. Med Sci Monit. .

Abstract

Background: Kinesiology taping (KT) is a popular method of supporting professional athletes during sports activities, traumatic injury prevention, and physiotherapeutic procedures after a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries. The effectiveness of KT in muscle strength and motor units recruitment is still uncertain. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of KT on surface electromyographic (sEMG) activity and muscle flexibility of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) muscles in healthy volleyball players.

Material and methods: Twenty-two healthy volleyball players (8 men and 14 women) were included in the study and randomly assigned to 2 comparative groups: "kinesiology taping" (KT; n=12; age: 22.30 ± 1.88 years; BMI: 22.19 ± 4.00 kg/m(2)) in which KT application over the RF muscle was used, and "placebo taping" (PT; n=10; age: 21.50 ± 2.07 years; BMI: 22.74 ± 2.67 kg/m(2)) in which adhesive nonelastic tape over the same muscle was used. All subjects were analyzed for resting sEMG activity of the VL and VM muscles, resting and functional sEMG activity of RF muscle, and muscle flexibility of RF muscle.

Results: No significant differences in muscle flexibility of the RF muscle and sEMG activity of the RF, VL, and VM muscles were registered before and after interventions in both groups, and between the KT and PT groups (p>0.05).

Conclusions: The results show that application of the KT to the RF muscle is not useful to improve sEMG activity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kinesiology taping application in the KT group (A) and placebo adhesive tape application in the PT group (B) over the RF muscle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow chart of all study subjects through the study.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The surface electromyography electrodes placement over the VL, VM, and RF muscles’ bellies, and reference electrode on the anterior superior iliac spine.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Participants’ position during a functional test using the system of columns destined to resistance exercises.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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