Does Kinesiology tape counter exercise-related impairments of balance in the elderly?

Maintaining balance is an essential requirement for the performance of daily tasks and sporting activities, particularly in older adults to prevent falls and associated injuries. Kinesiology tape has gained great popularity in sports and is frequently used as a tool for performance enhancement. However, there is little research investigating its influence on balance.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Kinesiology tape on dynamic balance, postural stability and knee proprioception after physical activity in healthy, older adults.

Twelve physically active, healthy men aged 63-77 years performed the test on two separate days, with and without Kinesiology tape at the knee joint (prospective intervention with cross-over design). Dynamic balance during an obstacle-crossing task, postural stability in a single-leg stance test, and knee joint position sense as a measure of proprioception were examined before and after 30 min of downhill walking on a treadmill. The influences of taping condition and physical activity on all parameters were statistically tested using factorial ANOVAs.

Factorial ANOVA revealed significant time × taping condition interaction effects on all performance parameters (p < 0.05), indicating that the exercise-related changes in dynamic balance, postural stability and knee proprioception differed between the two taping conditions. The deterioration of performance was always greater when no tape was used.

This study demonstrated that physical exercise significantly deteriorated dynamic balance, postural stability and knee proprioception in older men. These effects can be attenuated through the usage of Kinesiology tape. By preventing exercise-related impairments of balance, Kinesiology tape might help reduce the risk of sports-associated falls and associated injuries.