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Fenech P.1,2, Busuttil M.3
1University of Bath, Department for Health, Bath, United Kingdom, 2Ministry of Health, Department of Health, Physiotherapy, Pieta, Malta, 3Ministry for Social Dialogue , Consumer Affairs & Civil Liberties, Valletta, Malta
Background: Hamstring injuries are the most prevalent injuries in sports. There are several factors that contribute to hamstring muscle strain such as reduced strength and flexibility and impaired proprioception due to past injury. Several beneficial properties have been attributed to Kinesio tape such as enhancing muscle function, improve proprioception and decrease pain. However literature is divergent & no literature was found regards the effect of Kinesio Tape on hamstrings injuries in football players.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Kinesio tape on strength, flexibility and proprioception in hamstrings muscles in football players with and without a history of hamstring injury.
Methods: 30 male football players ranging from professional players playing within premier league in Malta to recreational players were recruited. 15 players with up to a one year history of hamstring injury were allocated to group A. 15 players without history of hamstring injury were allocated to group B. 24 participants managed to finish the study, 12 in each group. Each player had to undergo a battery of 5 tests in three different conditions:
i) with kinestio tape over the hamstring muscle
ii) with Kinesio tape over the dermatome supplying the hamstring muscle
iii) without any tape (control). The tape had to be kept for 2 days.
Main outcome measures pre:post test:
i) hamstring strength was measured via Baseline analogue 500 lb push pull dynamometer in a seated position with knee flexion set at 60 degrees.
ii) degrees of SLR in lying and a sit and reach test were done to measure flexibility in hamstrings.
iii) proprioception was tested in lying and standing using the joint position sense were the participant had to reproduce the angle of knee flexion at which the knee was placed by the researcher on the ipsilateral leg with eyes closed.
Results: Group A: Direct muscle application : significant changes (p value 0.05) reported in strength , flexibility and proprioception.
Dermatome application: significant changes reported in flexibility only. No significant changes reported in the control.
Group B: direct muscle application: significant changes reported in strength and flexibility only.
dermatome application: significant changes were in SLR only. Control: No significant changes except for strength.
No significant changes noted between group A & B.
Conclusion(s): Kinesio tape applied directly over the muscle provided significant effect on strength, flexibility and proprioception in football players with a history of injury within the same muscle. Dermatome application was found to be effective to enhance flexibility. Adaptation is still not established whether due to peripheral or central changes or both. In contrast strength is more dependent on direct stimulation rather than central response. with regards to proprioception previous hamstrings injuries are directly linked to disturbed sensory input and impaired movement discrimination.
Implications: Kinesio tape can be beneficial in athletes who have a history on hamstrings injuries in order to prevent re-injury occurrence although other means of prevention are recommended. Further studies need to be carried out on how Kinesio tape actually works.
Funding acknowledgements: Unfunded research
Topic: Musculoskeletal: lower limb
Ethics approval: University of Bath
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
