Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2020

Abstract

Copyright: © 2020 Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Kinesiology tape (KT) has been widely used in the areas of sports and rehabilitation. However, there is no gold standard for the tape tension used during a KT application. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of KT application with different tension intensities on soleus muscle Hoffmann-reflex (H-reflex) modulation during lying and standing postures. Fifteen healthy university students were tested with 3 tape tension intensities during separate visits with a randomized sequence: tape-on no tension (0KT), moderate (about 50% of the maximal tape tension: (ModKT), and maximal tape tension (MaxKT). During each experimental visit, the H-reflex measurements on the soleus muscle were taken before, during, and after the KT application for both lying and standing postures. The H-wave and M-wave recruitment curves were generated using surface electromyography (EMG). There was a main effect for posture (p = 0.001) for the maximal peak-to-peak amplitude of the H-wave and M-wave (Hmax/Mmax) ratio, showing the depressed Hmax/Mmax ratio during standing, when compared to the lying posture. Even though the tension factor had a large effect (ηp2 = 0.165), different tape tensions showed no significant differential effects for the Hmax/Mmax ratio. The spinal motoneuron excitability was not altered, even during the maximal tension KT application on the soleus muscle. Thus, the tension used during a KT application should not be a concern in terms of modulating the sensorimotor activity ascribed to elastic taping during lying and standing postures.

Relational Format

journal article

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0236587

Accessibility Status

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