Ankle sprain is the most commonly diagnosed injury experienced by ballet dancers with few studies investigating preventive support measures such as Kinesio taping. The need exists to examine the mechanical support characteristics of Kinesio taping and effect of application on ankle motion and performance. This may be important to understanding the mechanical mechanisms attributed to Kinesio ankle taping and justify its use in the prevention and treatment of jump landing injuries in ballet dancers. This study compared Kinesio taping with and without tension and no tape (control) on active and passive measures of ankle complex motion in healthy ballet dancers. A secondary objective was to examine the effect of Kinesio taping on balance using time to stabilization. Participants performed three ballet jumps with single-leg landings on a force plate across three ankle support conditions consisting of Kinesio taping, sham-Kinesio taping, and no tape. Sagittal and frontal plane motion and load-displacement of the ankle complex for each support condition were obtained using an ankle arthrometer. Kinesio taping with tension significantly restricted inversion-eversion rotation and increased inversion stiffness of the ankle complex (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found among the three ankle support conditions for jump landing time to stabilization (p > 0.05). Arthrometric results indicate Kinesio taping significantly restricted ankle complex motion in the frontal plane that is associated with lateral ankle sprain. Objective information on the nature of Kinesio taping support can assist sports medicine practitioners when recommending ankle support to athletes.
Keywords: Kinesio tape; ankle arthrometry; ankle sprain; ballet dancers; time to stabilization.