Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
The effect of kinesio® tape on vertical jump and dynamic postural control
Mikiko A Nakajima1, Carolann Baldridge
1California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA.
Introduction And Background:
Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries among physically active individuals. The role of prophylactic ankle taping and bracing has been studied extensively. Kinesio(®) Tape (KT) is a somewhat new type of taping technique gaining popularity as both treatment and performance enhancement tool. However, there is limited research on the effect of KT on functional performance.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the application of Kinesio Tex(®) Tape had an effect on vertical jump and dynamic postural control in healthy young individuals.
Methods:
52 healthy subjects free of ankle or lower extremity problems (28 males and 24 females; age: 22.12±2.08 years; height: 170.77±8.69 cm; weight: 69.90±12.03 kg) participated in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (KT with tension) or the control group (KT without tension). Vertical jump was measured using the VertiMetric device and dynamic postural control was assessed using the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) under three conditions: (1) without taping; (2) immediately after taping; (3) 24 hours after taping with the taping remaining in situ.
Results:
Three-way repeated measure ANOVA was conducted in order to identify differences between the experimental and the control group during the three conditions. Overall, there were no differences between groups in vertical jump maximum height, vertical jump average height, or the SEBT scores for the three time periods (pre-test, post-test, 24hrs-post-test). However, the main effect of KT was moderated by a significant gender interaction, resulting in a statistically significant effect of KT for the SEBT scores in the posterior-medial direction, F(1.72, 82.57) = 4.50, p = 0.018 and the medial direction, F(1.75, 83.81) = 4.27, p = 0.021. Follow-up analyses indicated that female subjects in the KT group had increased SEBT scores between three time periods when compared to the placebo group.
Discussion:
KT application on the ankle neither decreased nor increased vertical jump height in healthy non-injured young individuals, but did increase dynamic postural control in females for certain directions. Additional study is warranted using different measures of balance to further investigate the effect of KT on dynamic postural control.
Level Of Evidence:
2b.
