Effects of ankle Kinesio taping on knee and ankle joint biomechanics during unanticipated jumps in collegiate athletes

Objective Most biomechanical research on the application of Kinesio taping (KT) to the ankle joint focused on testing anticipated movements. However, ankle sprains frequently occur in real life in unanticipated situations, where individuals are unprepared and face sudden external stimuli. This situation is completely different from the anticipated situation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ankle KT application on the kinematic and kinetic characteristics of the knee and ankle joints during unanticipated jump tasks in collegiate athletes. Methods Eighteen healthy collegiate athletes experienced three taping conditions in a randomized order: no taping (NT), placebo taping (PT), and KT, and performed unanticipated jump tasks. A 9-camera infrared high-speed motion capture system was employed to collect knee and ankle kinematic data, and a 3-dimensional force plate was utilized to collect knee and ankle kinetic data during the tasks. Results During the right jumps, KT significantly increased peak knee flexion angle ( P = 0.031) compared to NT and significantly decreased peak vertical ground reaction force ( P < 0.001, P = 0.001) compared to NT and PT. During the left jumps, KT significantly reduced peak ankle inversion angle ( P = 0.022, P < 0.001) and peak ankle inversion moment ( P = 0.002, P = 0.001) compared to NT and PT. Conclusion During unanticipated jump maneuvers, KT reduced peak ankle inversion angle, peak vertical ground reaction force, and peak ankle inversion moment and increased peak knee flexion angle in collegiate athletes.