Kinesio taping does not improve ankle functional or performance in people with or without ankle injuries: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Kinesio taping technique, applied to ankles of healthy people as a preventive intervention and people with ankle injuries, is superior to sham or alternative interventions on ankle function. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, Amed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library and Web of Science, from inception to August 2020. REVIEW METHODS: The terms "ankle" and "kinesio taping" were used in the search strategy. Included studies were randomized controlled trials (including crossover design) investigating Kinesio taping effects on ankle functional performance compared to any alternative or control/sham technique. RESULTS: From 5,572 studies, 84 met the eligibility criteria which evaluated 2,684 people. Fifty-eight meta-analyses from 44 studies were performed (participants in meta-analyses ranging from 27 to 179). Fifty-one meta-analyses reported ineffectiveness of Kinesio taping: moderate evidence for star excursion balance test (anterior direction), jump distance, dorsiflexion range of motion, and plantar flexion torque for healthy people (effect size = 0.08-0.13); low to very-low evidence for balance, jump performance, range of motion, proprioception, muscle capacity and EMG for healthy people; balance for older people; and balance and jump performance for people with chronic instability. Seven meta-analyses reported results favoring Kinesio taping (effect size[95% CI]): low to very-low evidence for balance (stabilometry, ranging from 0.42[0.07-0.77] to 0.65[0.29-1.02]) and ankle inversion (0.84[0.28-1.40]) for healthy people; balance for older people (COP velocity, 0.90[0.01-1.78]); and balance for people with chronic instability (errors, 0.55[0.06-1.04]). CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence does not support or encourage the use of Kinesio taping applied to the ankle for improvements in functional performance, regardless the population.

Massage therapy slightly decreased pain intensity after habitual running, but had no effect on fatigue, mood or physical performance: a randomised trial.

QUESTION: Does massage therapy reduce pain and perceived fatigue in the quadriceps, and improve the mood and physical performance of runners after habitual sporting activity (10-km run)? DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial with concealed allocation, intention-to-treat analysis and blinded assessment. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-eight runners after sporting activity (10-km run). INTERVENTION: The experimental group received 10 minutes of massage to the quadriceps aimed at recovery following sport practice, and the control group received a sham joint mobilisation. OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain and perceived fatigue were each assessed using a 0-to-10 numerical rating scale; pain behaviour via the McGill Pain Questionnaire; mood profile via Brunel Mood Scale; quadriceps muscle flexibility using maximal knee flexion angle via inclinometer; isometric muscle strength of knee extensors via hand-held dynamometry; and vertical jump performance using jump height via My Jump 2 app. Evaluations were carried out immediately before and after the intervention, and at 24, 48 and 72 hours after the intervention. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate a between-group difference (95% CI) using data across all time points. RESULTS: The experimental group had significantly lower scores than the control group on the numerical rating scale for pain by 0.7 points (95% CI 0.1 to 1.3). There were no significant between-group differences for any of the other outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Massage therapy was effective at reducing pain intensity after application to the quadriceps of runners compared to a sham technique, but the magnitude of the effect was small. There were no significant effects on perceived fatigue, flexibility, strength or jump performance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials, RBR-393m7m.