Effects of Taping on the Proprioceptive System

Overview

Kinesiotape (KT) is a widely used technique, although the scientific evidence on its effectiveness is limited and conflicting. KT has not yet been scientifically proven to have an effect on proprioception and a possible placebo effect of this technique cannot be ruled out. The main objective of this experimental study is to evaluate the effect of the application of KT in the anterior side of the forearm on the force sense and the positional sense compared to a placebo intervention in healthy subjects. A randomized, single-blind, crossover clinical trial will be carried out, where each subject will undergo three situations in their dominant forearm: no intervention, intervention using sham tape and intervention using KT. In the present design, in a randomized manner, all subjects go through the 3 conditions on different days: KT, sham tape, and no intervention. Measurements will be made before and after the intervention and proprioception will be measured using the variables of sense of force (with a dynamometer) and joint position (with a goniometer). The main intervention will be the application of a KT strip on the anterior face of the forearm and a sham tape of another material following the same procedure. The study population will be made up of healthy students from the university community of the Faculty of Physiotherapy of the University of Vigo. The main objective of this experimental study is to evaluate the effect of the application of kinesiotape (KT) in the anterior side of the forearm on the force sense and the joint positional sense of the wrist compared to a placebo/sham intervention in healthy subjects. Study hypothesis: the application of KT on the anterior side of the forearm produces better results in the force sense evaluated by a grip dynamometry and on the joint position sense of the wrist compared to a sham intervention or not intervention.