The acute effects of different ankle taping techniques on dynamic balance and lower extremity jumping performance in professional soccer players

• Main Authors: Fatih Emre Doğan, Nevin Atalay Güzel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkish Sports Medicine Association 2021-06-01
• Series: Spor Hekimligi Dergisi
• Subjects: athletic performance; postural balance; athletic tape
• Online Access: https://journalofsportsmedicine.org/eng/full-text-pdf/569/eng

Objective: Different taping techniques are employed for improving functional performance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different ankle taping techniques on dynamic balance and lower extremity jumping performance in professional soccer players. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four professional uninjured male soccer players were evaluated in four situations as no taping, placebo taping, kinesiologic-taping (KT), and dynamic-taping (DT). Taping techniques were performed in a randomized order with one-week intervals. All players were evaluated four times. Dynamic balance was evaluated with the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Jumping performance was assessed by using a single leg hop test and forward leap distances of the dominant foot were recorded. Results: A significant difference was detected between applications concerning all the directions of SEBT (p<0.05). However, post-hoc comparisons revealed that these differences were between no taping and DT, and placebo taping and DT applications (p<0.01). No difference was detected between applications related to lower extremity performance (p>0.05). Conclusion: DT technique might be preferred for improving dynamic balance in soccer players; however, none of the taping methods was found effective for enhancing lower extremity jumping performance.