Immediate and late effects of Kinesio taping on postural sway in patients with ankle sprain

Ankle sprain is one of the most prevalent traumatic injuries in joints, which can lead to instability, osteoarthritis and functional deficit in the ankle. The purpose of this study was to determine the acute and late effects of kinesio taping (KT) on the postural sway in patients with ankle sprain. Fifteen subjects with history of ankle sprain (7 men and 8 women) were participated in this study including two periods of taping and non-taping sessions. The measurements included: displacement the centre of pressure (COP), speed of COP displacement and the standard deviation (SD) of COP displacement in the anteroposterior and lateral directions, with and without perturbation. All parameters were measured twice with one day interval before taping, immediately and 24 hours after taping, and immediately after tape removal. There were not any significant differences in the mean and SD of COP displacement, the speed of COP displacement and KT and No-KT situations. This study’s findings indicate that KT may not improve the balance performance in subjects with ankle sprain.