Taping-induced cutaneous stimulation to the ankle tendons reduces minimum toe clearance variability

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Kinesiology
• Rehabilitation Engineering

Background:

• High variability in minimum toe clearance (MTC) increases tripping risk.
• Current gait training systems for MTC regulation are costly and temporary.
• Elastic adhesive tape may improve proprioception and movement detection via cutaneous stimulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of elastic adhesive tape on ankle tendons for modifying MTC distribution.
• To explore taping as a practical, low-cost alternative for gait training.

Main Methods:

• 13 healthy adults walked on a treadmill under four conditions: no taping, tibialis anterior tendon taping, Achilles tendon taping, and both tendons taped.
• Measurements included MTC distribution, lower limb joint angles, and shank muscle activations.
• Outcomes were compared across the four taping conditions.

Main Results:

• Taping the ankle tendons did not significantly alter average MTC height.
• Taping the Achilles tendon and both tendons significantly reduced MTC variability.
• Some lower limb joint angle variability decreased with taping, but muscle activation remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Elastic adhesive tape applied to the shank effectively reduces MTC variability.
• Taping offers a low-resistance, non-cumbersome method for gait modification.
• This technique shows potential for practical application in reducing tripping hazards.