The effect of long-term use of ankle taping on balance Stephanie McGregorDr. Mike PavolExercise and Sports ScienceOregon State UniversityHHMI 2011

Background•Ankle sprains are most common injury

amongst college athletes•Many athletes continue to tape as

preventative measure ▫Shown to reduce ankle sprains by up to

50%

How does taping help?•Mechanical support•Psychological benefits•Enhanced proprioception

▫Ability to sense a joint’s position Leads to improved balancing performance

•Direct effects on balance remain unclear

Components of Balance

Increased proprioception helps improve balance

Significance •Review of literature shows little research done studying the effects of long term use of taping ▫Determine if the effects of taping on

ankle proprioception and balance continue to be significant over time

Use of new information•Make more informed decisions about the best treatment plan for athletes suffering a sprained ankle ▫Better evaluate the practicality of regularly taping ankles

Question

•How does the long term use of ankle taping effect balance?

Hypothesis •Ankle taping will have a larger effect on

the balance of the participants who do not regularly tape ▫Body becomes acclimatized to the tape,

such that the benefits decrease with long-term use

•Effects of taping on balancing ability will vary depending on the condition being tested

Methods•16 NCAA gymnasts

are being tested ▫Balance plays a

large role in this sport

•Approximately half ‘tapers’ and the other half ‘non-tapers’ Gymnast who

regularly tapes her ankle

Single leg balance test•With hands on hips ▫Three 30 second

trials performed for each of the 4 conditions

Testing conditions•Closed eyes removes visual cues

▫Increases reliance on proprioception

•2 inch thick block of foam between the foot and force platform Foam pad to make

balancing more difficult

Conditions

Eyes openOn ground

Eyes openOn foam

Eyes closedOn ground

Eyes closedOn foam

Tested with and without tape

Force Plate •Used to examine

balancing ability▫Forces used to

calculate the motion of the center of pressure (COP)

Center of Pressure •Average location of the force acting

between the foot and the ground•Less movement of COP equates to

better balance

Center of Mass •Less movement of COM equates to better balance

Data Analysis •Compare how far and how fast COP and COM moved ▫Side to side (M/L)

▫Forward to backward (A/P)

Force plate

COP trajectory

Data Analysis •Stabilogram diffusion coefficient

Collings & De Luca, Chaos 5 (1), 1995 p59

Greater COP A/P motion with taping

Non-tapers

Tapers

No tape Tape No tape Tape02468

10121416

Stan

dard

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Similar results for COM A/P motion

Greater COP A/P velocity with taping and in non-tapers

Non-tapers

Tapers

No tape Tape No tape Tape0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Sway

vel

ocit

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m/s

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Greater short term slope with taping

Non-tapers

Tapers

No tape Tape No tape Tape0

100200300400500600700800900

1000

Shor

t te

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lope

(m

m2/

s)

Similar results for critical displacement with eyes closed

Greater short term slope in non-tapers than tapers when eyes closed

Non-tapers

Tapers

Eyes open

Eyes closed

Eyes open

Eyes closed

0200400600800

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Sho

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slo

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(mm

2/s)

Changes in COP M/L motion with taping when eyes closed

grou

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4

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12no tapetape

Stan

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Eyes closed Eyes closed

Discussion•Contrary to hypothesis, tape negatively affects balance, regardless of group

•Long-term tapers showed balancing differences in the A/P direction and with eyes closed▫Slower corrections to balance made

Discussion•Further investigation needed

▫For preliminary data only, not all subjects have been tested yet

•Worthwhile to investigate alternatives to ankle taping

AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to: • Dr. Mike Pavol

• Deb Graff• Study participants

• Elizabeth Doran• Sam Johnson

• Dr. Kevin Ahern • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) • Undergraduate Research and Innovation, Scholarship and

Creativity (URISC)