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Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jsams
Original research
Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle strength and fatigue
in the forearm of tennis players
Shen Zhang a , Weijie Fu a,∗ , Jiahao Pan a , Lin Wang b , Xia Rui a , Yu Liu a,∗
a
b
Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, China
Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, China
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 23 April 2015
Received in revised form 27 June 2015
Accepted 9 July 2015
Available online xxx
Keywords:
Kinesio taping
Muscle strength
Work fatigue
Rate of decline in moment
a b s t r a c t
Objectives: To explore the immediate effects of Kinesio taping applied over the wrist extensors and flexors
on muscle strength and endurance during isometric and isokinetic muscle actions.
Design: The study had a single-blinded, placebo control, and randomized design.
Methods: Fourteen trained male volunteers were required to complete 5 s isometric maximal voluntary
contractions and 50 consecutive maximal concentric wrist extension and flexion repetitions at each of
two angular speeds (60◦ /s and 210◦ /s) in three taping conditions: Kinesio taping (KT), placebo taping
(PT), and no taping (NT).
Results: KT did not improve peak moment, peak power, average power, and total work for wrist extensors
and flexors in the isometric and isokinetic contractions. However, KT showed a 13% decrease in work
fatigue of the wrist flexors compare to NT (p = 0.014) at 60◦ /s. Furthermore, a 20% decrease was also
observed in the rate of decline of moment (k) of the wrist flexors in KT compared to NT (p = 0.007), and
the k in PT was also significantly lower in magnitude compared to NT (p = 0.035). Moreover, there was
also a trend in terms of magnitudes for kKT < kPT < kNT in the wrist flexors at 210◦ /s.
Conclusions: Kinesio taping may not be able to modulate strength production in healthy athletes immediately, but does have a significant positive effect on reducing muscle fatigue during repeated concentric
muscle actions. Additionally, the potential beneficial effects of placebo taping on muscle endurance
should not be ignored either.
© 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
In recent years, Kinesio taping (KT) has been widely applied in
the treatment of various musculoskeletal conditions, especially in
the fields of sports medicine and rehabilitation.1 Due to its practical
applications on maintenance of muscle function and treatment of
sports injury, KT has attracted much attention from athletes, physical therapists and researchers.2 To date, the proposed mechanisms
for the treatment of sports injuries and enhancement of performance with KT include2,3 (1) reducing inflammation and promoting
range of motion by improving circulation of blood and lymph, (2)
relieving pain by decreasing the pressure on subcutaneous nociceptors, (3) facilitating joint and muscle function by improving sensory
feedback and muscle alignment/activation. It is, however, noteworthy that the practical effects of KT and its alleged clinical usefulness
still remain controversial.4 Owing to the lack of clinical and
∗ Corresponding authors.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (W. Fu), [email protected] (Y. Liu).
experimental evidence, no clear scientific consensus has been
reached yet with regard to the positive effect of KT on the
improvement of athletic-based performance, especially on muscular strength and endurance.
Recently, Kim et al.5 reported a significant increase in peak
moment, average power, and total work of the knee joint during
isokinetic contractions immediately after application of KT. Slupik
and colleagues6 further revealed an increase in the electromyographic activity of vastus medialis muscle after KT application
compared with no taping, which may partially be attributed to the
potential effect of KT on correcting muscle function by strengthening weakened muscles and/or promoting sensory input. However,
it should be noted that results from a number of studies still do
not support some of the effectiveness claimed anecdotally by KT
manufacturers. The work by Fu2 and Poon et al.7 suggested that
KT does not enhance nor inhibit muscle strength during isokinetic knee extensions in healthy non-injured young athletes. These
authors further suggested that previously reported muscle facilitatory effects using KT might be attributed to placebo effects7 .
Notably, the tonic muscles, e.g., anti-gravity lower limb muscles,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.07.012
1440-2440/© 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Please cite this article in press as: Zhang S, et al. Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle strength and fatigue in the forearm of tennis
players. J Sci Med Sport (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.07.012
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Fig. 1. Kinesio tape (A); placebo tape (B); application procedure of KT for the wrist flexors (C) and extensors (D); positions of forearm and wrist joint for measurement using
an isokinetic dynamometer (E).
were involved in the aforementioned studies. Meanwhile, a recent
meta-analysis showed that on average the application of KT to
facilitate muscular contraction has no or only negligible effects on
muscle strength.8 Hence there is, obviously, uncertainty concerning the beneficial effects of KT application for the improvement
of muscular strength, and very few data are available in the literature regarding the effect of KT on continuous power outputs
and endurance during repetitive exercise bouts, which further hinders our understanding of the potential mechanisms underlying KT
effects.
Isokinetic strength testing has been widely used to investigate muscle strength and power production. Most previous studies
on KT by means of isokinetic strength evaluation, however, have
mainly focused on the performance of tonic muscle groups, e.g.,
knee extensor and flexor5 and ankle plantarflexor.9 Little is known
about the isokinetic muscle strength of phasic muscles, e.g., wrist
extensors and flexors, after applying the KT.10 In highly skilled
adult tennis players, significantly greater isokinetic strength was
observed for the flexion and extension of dominant arm wrist.11
More importantly, a recent electromyographic study has indicated
that the wrist extensor and flexor muscles play an important role in
gripping during the procedure of holding the racket in an extended
tennis or badminton match.12 Therefore, questions still remain
regarding how KT affects phasic extensors and flexors strength
and fatigue performance of wrist joint during prolonged dynamic
movements.
Based on the above observations, the purpose of this study was
to examine the immediate effects of KT applied over the wrist
extensors and flexors on muscle strength and endurance during
isometric and isokinetic muscle actions at both low (60◦ /s) and
high (210◦ /s) angular speeds. We hypothesized that a KT intervention would lead to an increase in wrist muscle strength as well as
endurance performance.
2. Methods
Fourteen trained male volunteers (age: 23.8 ± 1.4 years, height:
177.3 ± 4.0 cm, mass: 71.3 ± 6.5 kg) were recruited to participate
in this study. All subjects had 3–4 years of experience in tennis events and were free of musculoskeletal injuries of the upper
extremity at least six months prior to the testing. A post-hoc power
analysis was conducted using G*Power software (version 3.1.9) as
previously described.13 A two-tailed t-test was used to determine
whether a sample size of 14 was sufficient to avoid type II error for
our variables of interest (p = 80% at ˛ = 0.05). Each of them signed
the consent form approved by the Human Ethics Committee of
Shanghai University of Sport.
Three taping conditions were applied to each subject: (1) Kinesio
taping (KT); (2) placebo taping (PT); (3) no taping (NT). The Kinesio Tex Tape (Kinesio Holding Company, Albuquerque, NM) was
comprised of pure cotton fabric and waterborne acrylic pressuresensitive adhesives (Fig. 1A). The placebo tape was a common
CaduMedi non-woven adhesive tape (T&G Healthcare Co. Ltd.,
China) (Fig. 1B).
The tapes were applied on the wrist flexors and extensors
of the dominant arm. Specifically, before applying the tape, the
skin of the participants was shaved and cleaned with alcohol. For
wrist flexors/extensors, the subject was required to keep the wrist
in a hyperextended/hyperflexed position with the elbow in full
extension and supination/flexion and pronation. The length of the
forearm of the participants was measured by the experimenter
(Fig. 1C and D). A roll of tape was cut into a strip and then cut
down the middle of the strip to produce a “Y-strip”. The proximal
head of the Y-strip was applied to the distal of wrist palmar and
dorsal side, the tails were along the ulnar and radial wrist flexors
and wrist extensors to medial and lateral epicondyle, respectively,
with natural stretch tension.
Please cite this article in press as: Zhang S, et al. Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle strength and fatigue in the forearm of tennis
players. J Sci Med Sport (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.07.012
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Table 1
Mean values ± SD of strength and fatigue variables of wrist extensors and flexors during isokinetic muscle actions at 60◦ /s and 210◦ /s angular speeds for Kinesio taping (KT),
placebo taping (PT), and no taping (NT) conditions.
Angular speeds
Variables
Extensors
Flexors
KT
◦
60 /s
210◦ /s
PM (Nm/kg)
AP (W/kg)
PP (W/kg)
TW (J/kg)
WF
k
PM (Nm/kg)
AP (W/kg)
PP (W/kg)
TW (J/kg)
WF
k
0.22
0.11
0.23
4.31
0.57
−0.015
0.18
0.15
0.50
4.45
0.33
−0.010
PT
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
0.08
0.05
0.08
2.01
0.09
0.004
0.03
0.04
0.08†
0.79
0.15
0.004
0.21
0.14
0.22
4.90
0.63
−0.014
0.20
0.16
0.60
4.39
0.34
−0.009
NT
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
0.06
0.02
0.06
1.35
0.12
0.037
0.03
0.03
0.12†
0.85
0.09
0.002
0.23
0.12
0.23
4.35
0.59
−0.015
0.20
0.16
0.59
4.27
0.34
−0.009
KT
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
0.07
0.03
0.08
2.32
0.12
0.004
0.04
0.03
0.16
1.18
0.12
0.004
0.34
0.19
0.36
9.19
0.46
−0.012
0.26
0.23
0.89
6.00
0.25
−0.007
PT
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
0.06
0.04
0.06
1.89
0.12*
0.003*
0.04
0.07
0.15
1.02
0.17
0.004
0.38
0.23
0.39
9.58
0.53
−0.013
0.29
0.25
1.00
6.44
0.30
−0.009
NT
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
‡
0.08
0.05
0.09
1.97
0.11
0.003‡
0.06
0.08
0.20
1.72
0.11
0.002
0.32
0.21
0.42
9.16
0.58
−0.015
0.28
0.23
0.93
5.82
0.30
−0.010
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
0.07‡
0.05
0.22
2.15
0.14*
0.003*‡
0.05
0.07
0.16
1.37
0.13
0.003
Note: Ext, wrist extensors; Flex, wrist flexors; PM, peak moment normalized by body mass; AP, average power normalized by body mass; PP, peak power normalized by body
mass; TW, total work normalized by body mass; WF, work fatigue; k, linear regression slope fitted to the normalized peak moment values.
*
Significant difference between KT and NT.
†
Significant difference between KT and PT.
‡
Significant difference between PT and NT.
An isokinetic dynamometer (Contrex, PM1/MJ, CMV AG Corp.,
Switzerland) was used to measure the isometric and isokinetic
strengths of the wrist muscles. Subjects sat on the examination
chair and were stabilized with straps around the abdomen and thorax with the dominant forearm in a neutral position supported on
a horizontal plane (Fig. 1E). The axis of the tested wrist was aligned
with the rotation axis of the dynamometer.
Participants were asked to be in the laboratory on three separate days and to complete strength testing in one of the three
taping conditions, i.e., KT, PT, and NT, at each visit. A period of
48-h rest was required between visits. The order of the three conditions was randomized using a random number allocation table.
Testing was performed and completed within 2 h of taping being
applied.
During each visit, the subject was asked to complete two
strength testing tasks, isometric maximal voluntary contractions
(MVCs) and isokinetic wrist extensions & flexions. Subjects were
given sufficient practice trials to be able to familiarize the strength
testing equipment and protocols. A 5 min low-resistance warm-up
on the Contrex was completed at the outset. During the actual testing, two sets of 5 s isometric MVCs of both the wrist extensors and
flexors were measured at 0◦ angles of wrist extension. A rest period
of 2 min was provided between the two sets. Subsequently, during
the isokinetic testing session, subjects performed one set of 50 consecutive maximal concentric wrist extensions and flexions at each
of the two angular speeds (60◦ /s and 210◦ /s).11,14 The two angular speeds were randomized. A period of 15-min rest was required
between the two speeds.
The variables for the wrist strength of the extensors and flexors
normalized by body mass included (1) peak moment (PM, Nm/kg)
during the isometric task; (2) peak moment (PM, Nm/kg), peak
power (PP, W/kg), average power for the first five repetitions (AP,
W/kg), and total work (TW, J/kg) during the isokinetic tasks.
In the present study, a work fatigue index (WF) and rate of
decrease of moment were chosen to quantify the trend for performance to diminish across the 50 repetitions and to evaluate
the fatigue characteristics of muscle during long duration tasks.
Specifically, WF was calculated using the following equation15 :
Work[initial 2−4 repetitions] − Work[last 2−4 repetitions]
Work[initial 2−4 repetitions]
The rate of decline in the peak muscle moment across the 50
repetitions was evaluated using the slope of the curve (k) normalized to the first peak moment value for the speed condition.
This parameter k was defined as the linear regression slope fitted to the normalized peak moment values using the following
equation16 :y = kx + bwhere x is the ith contraction and y is the normalized peak moment.
The distribution of all dependent variables was examined using the Shapiro–Wilk test in order to make sure that
their distribution did not differ significantly from normality. A
2 × 3 (speed × condition) repeated measures analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was used to examine the effects of the contraction speeds
and taping conditions on muscle strength and fatigue performance.
LSD post hoc tests were used to determine individual significant differences (19.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, U.S.A.). The level of significance
was set at ˛ = 0.05.
3. Results
No significant differences were observed in peak moment
of the wrist extensors among the KT (0.21 ± 0.06 Nm/kg),
PT (0.24 ± 0.05 Nm/kg), NT (0.23 ± 0.05 Nm/kg) and flexors
among the KT (0.33 ± 0.08 Nm/kg), PT (0.33 ± 0.08 Nm/kg), NT
(0.32 ± 0.02 Nm/kg) during MVC trials. For the isokinetic strength
testing, overall, there were no significant differences in PM, AP,
PP, and TW for both wrist extensors and flexors between the KT
and NT conditions at both speeds (Table 1). However, the PP of
extensors in PT was significantly greater compared to KT at 210◦ /s
(F = 2.686, p = 0.037). The PM of flexors was also greater in PT
compared to NT at 60◦ /s (F = 2.447, p = 0.037).
At 60◦ /s, KT showed a 13% decrease in work fatigue (WF) of
the wrist flexors (F = 3.343, p = 0.014) compared to NT. No significant differences, however, were observed in the wrist extensor
WF among the three taping conditions. In addition, the WF of wrist
muscles was not significantly different between the taping conditions at 210◦ /s (Table 1).
The maximal normalized PM was generally achieved at the
sixth and thirteenth repetitions for the 60◦ /s and 210◦ /s conditions,
respectively, and it progressively decreased until the end of the trial
(Fig. 2). Compared to NT, a 20% decrease was observed for KT in the
magnitude of slope of the curve k for the wrist flexors (F = 4.403,
p = 0.007) at 60◦ /s. It is, however, noteworthy that the magnitude
of k in PT was also significantly lower compared to NT (F = 4.403,
p = 0.035). In addition, in terms of the magnitudes of the slopes,
there was a trend for kKT < kPT < kNT in the wrist flexors at 210◦ /s
(p < 0.1). Meanwhile, for the wrist extensors, no significant taping
effect was observed for the slope of the curve k at both speeds.
Please cite this article in press as: Zhang S, et al. Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle strength and fatigue in the forearm of tennis
players. J Sci Med Sport (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.07.012
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4
Fig. 2. Influence of three taping conditions on the slope of the curve k of the wrist extensors and flexors at 60◦ /s (upper) and 210◦ /s (lower).
4. Discussion
One of the main aims of this study was to determine the effects,
if any, of the KT application on isometric and isokinetic muscular strength. Our results showed that there was no significant KT
effect on the characteristics of the strength output (peak moment
and peak/average power) nor on the total work of the wrist extensors and flexors at both speeds, findings which were in contrast
to our original hypothesis and the positive effects claimed by KT
manufacturers.
The above results, however, were in agreement with recent
reports of no significant changes in muscle strength immediately
following the application of Kinesio tape in healthy populations.7,17
Yeung et al.18 found KT did not enhance the strength performance of the vastus medialis oblique muscles in healthy subjects
compared to groups receiving placebo taping and no taping. Similarly, Fu and colleagues2 also reported that Kinesio taping did not
enhance nor inhibit muscle strength during concentric and eccentric quadriceps contractions in healthy non-injured young athletes.
Since the tactile input generated by KT has been reported to interact with motor control by altering the excitability of the central
neuron system,19,20 the ineffectiveness of the KT observed in these
studies may partially be explained by the fact that such effects
may not be strong enough to modulate muscle power of healthy
athletes.2 For non-healthy individuals, however, Hsu et al.21 found
that the isometric strength of lower trapezius muscle increased
with the application of KT compared to placebo taping in players
with shoulder impingement. Slupik et al.6 also reported that KT
increased the EMG activity of the quadriceps after 24 h of application. This might be partially ascribed to the effectiveness on
pain relief and muscle alignment/activity produced by KT, which
also suggests a potential benefit of using KT to facilitate muscle
strength in non-healthy subjects rather than in healthy adults.21
However, this possibility still needs to be confirmed, and both the
short- & long-term effects of KT on strength gain require further
investigation.
On the other hand, much of the work studying KT effects has
focused on the strength performance of major muscle groups, e.g.,
knee extensors and flexors,2,22 ankle plantar flexors,23 and elbow
flexors.24 To our knowledge, few data are available in the literature
regarding the systematic effect of KT application on isometric and
isokinetic muscle strength at the wrist joint. Our findings showed
no or little changes in peak moment of the wrist extensors and
flexors in KT compared to PT and NT, results which are in accordance with results from the majority of related hand-grip strength
studies. Recent observations have suggested that the strength performance might be muscle-dependent due to the different muscle
groups covered by KT.10 The reason may be that the area covered
by KT at different target muscles could be affected varyingly by the
tactile stimulation or mechanical assistance afforded by the tape.
Furthermore, muscles can be functionally categorized as either
phasic or tonic.25,26 The majority of studies to date have examined
the effect of KT on tonic muscle strength, e.g., anti-gravity lower
limb muscles. No scientific consensus, however, has been reached
Please cite this article in press as: Zhang S, et al. Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle strength and fatigue in the forearm of tennis
players. J Sci Med Sport (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.07.012
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yet with regard to the KT effect on strength output of the tonic muscles, and no systematic study is available in the literature regarding
the influence of the KT use on phasic muscle responses. Therefore,
future investigations should focus on the effect of KT on physiological feedback and neuromuscular disorders in different muscle
groups, i.e., major versus minor and tonic versus phasic.
During the repeated isokinetic wrist extensions and flexions (50
reps), KT application showed a significant decrease in work fatigue
of flexors compared to NT at 60◦ /s (Table 1). In addition, the rate
of decline in moment, k, of flexors with KT was significantly less
compared to NT at 60◦ /s (Fig. 2). Meanwhile, in terms of the magnitudes of the slopes, a trend for kKT < kPT < kNT at 210◦ /s in the wrist
flexors was also observed (p < 0.1), and this is a trend that might
reach statistical significance with a larger sample size and/or with
more repetitions. These results suggest that using KT could have a
positive effect against fatigue during prolonged concentric muscle
contractions.
Theoretically, it has been suggested27 that decreases in peak
moment during repeated concentric muscle actions are likely due
to a change in the contribution of type I and II muscle fibers, with
type I muscle fibers becoming primarily responsible for moment
production instead of type II during repetitions, resulting in a
decline in the moment output. In the current study, the decline
of peak moment slowed down after applying KT to the wrist flexors during 50 isokinetic movements both at 60◦ /s and 180◦ /s. Since
the addition of local KT was the only change implemented during
repeated muscle contractions, it can be inferred that appropriate
application of KT techniques might alter the contribution of type I
and II muscle fibers and the timing and strategy of fiber recruitment.
To our knowledge, no investigation has been conducted to
directly examine the relationship between KT and fatigue in repetitive tasks. Only one recent study has reported the effect of KT on
the resistance to muscle fatigue of the lumber extensors during isometric trunk exercises in healthy young subjects.28 They found the
timing obtained in a Biering–Sorensen back endurance test with KT
application was significantly longer compared to no taping. These
results partially support our findings which also showed a significant lower work fatigue and slower decline of peak moment k in
wrist muscles when applying KT. One plausible explanation is that
KT may enhance blood flow intramuscularly, increasing the oxygen
supplied to the muscle and improving the muscle’s resistance to
fatigue.28 On the other hand, it is, however, still noteworthy that PT
also showed a 13% decrease (p < 0.05) in the magnitude of the rate
of decline k of the wrist flexors at 60◦ /s compared to NT but was still
greater than KT (Table 1). This placebo effect is most likely a psychological phenomenon which alters the muscle endurance due to
changes in the individual’s expectations, beliefs and, subsequently,
behaviors, leading to a more positive performance.28 Several studies have already suggested that PT may, to a certain degree,
provide beneficial effects through increasing the self-confidence
and reassurance of the subject.7,29 Therefore, a well-designed
experiment is warranted to further explore the placebo effects
taping.
In the present study, healthy adults were selected as subjects.
Athletes suffered from wrist pain or lateral epicondylitis may have
different responses to KT application. In addition, it should be noted
that the current findings were limited to concentric wrist muscle
actions. Different contraction types and muscle groups should be
considered in future studies. Finally, the longer term effects of KT
on muscle strength and endurance are yet to be examined.
5. Conclusion
KT applied over the wrist extensors and flexors did not improve
isometric and isokinetic strength, yielding no changes in normalized peak moment, peak power, average power, and total work.
5
However, KT applied to the wrist flexors reduced work fatigue and
induced a lower rate of decline in moment compared to no taping
at 60◦ /s. These findings provide preliminary evidences suggesting
that KT may not be able to modulate strength production in healthy
athletes immediately, but could have a significant positive effect
on muscle fatigue resistance during repeated concentric muscle
actions. Additionally, the potential beneficial effects of PT on muscle
endurance should not be ignored either.
6. Practical implications
• When applied over wrist extensors and flexors, Kinesio taping neither increased nor decreased muscle force production in
healthy participants.
• A decrease in work fatigue as well as a decrease in the rate of
decline in moment induced by Kinesio taping application could be
beneficial in prolonged sports activities and therapeutic exercise.
• The effect of placebo taping on muscle endurance should be considered in healthy athletes.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (11302131, 11372194), the Doctoral Fund
of Ministry of Education of China (20123156120003), the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission
(14YZ125), and the Science and Technology Commission of
Shanghai (14DZ1103500).
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