Effects of Kinesio taping on forearm supination/pronation performance fatigability

Repetitive exertion in supination/pronation could increase the risk of forearm diseases due to fatigue. Kinesio taping (KT) is a physical therapy technique that decreases muscle tone and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) risk. Many assumptions about taping have been made and several studies have considered the taping applications; however, the effect of KT on strength and fatigue of the forearm supination/pronation remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of KT on forearm performance fatigability.

A screwing test was constructed to measure the forearm force loss and screwing efficiency during repetitive supination/pronation. Data from 18 healthy adults who underwent both KT and no taping (NT) sessions were used to investigate the forearm strength change in terms of grip force (GF), driving torque (DT), and push force (PF). The maximal isometric forces before and after the screwing test and force decreasing rate (efficiency) during screwing were evaluated to assess the performance fatigability in KT and NT conditions.

A statistically significant force loss (FL) in maximal isometric GF (p = 0.039) and maximal isometric DT (p = 0.044); however, no significant difference was observed in maximal isometric PF (p = 0.426) between NT and KT. KT provides greater screwing efficiency than NT.

KT could not improve FL in the maximal muscle strength of the forearm in healthy subjects. KT on the forearm was associated with a lesser decline in DT efficiency than NT, implying that KT could decrease the loss rate of muscle strength and delay the development of fatigue; however, the KT did not yield improvements in PF while performing screwing tasks.