OBJECTIVE:

Kinesio tape (KT) is a visible adhesive restorative tape that has typically been utilized for injury prevention, recovery, and even performance improvement, but limited studies have assessed the effect of KT on muscle performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical impact of KT on muscle performance in healthy young soccer players.

METHODS:

Between 25 March and 21 April 2017, sixteen healthy soccer players with a mean age of 20±2.17 were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. All participants were selected from the college football team of Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University.

The muscle performance of the players was evaluated with an isokinetic dynamometer for the following three conditions:

without tape, immediately after applying KT, and 8 hrs post-KT application while the tape remained on the same site.

RESULTS:

The differences in peak torque and total work among the three conditions were nonsignificant (p>0.05). Additionally, applying KT to the thigh muscles did not decrease or increase the performance of non injured healthy soccer players (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION:

KT does not lead to beneficial outcomes of muscle performance in healthy young soccer players.