Four-Week Application of Kinesiotaping Improves Proprioception, Strength, and Balance in Individuals With Complete Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture.

ABSTRACT: Kiele, D and Solianik, R. Four-week application of kinesiotaping improves proprioception, strength, and balance in individuals with complete anterior cruciate ligament rupture. J Strength Cond Res 37(1): 213-219, 2023-Kinesiotaping (KT) is common in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, but whether it is efficacious for surgically untreated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated whether a strategy of physiotherapy plus KT would be superior to a strategy of physiotherapy alone on subsequent proprioception and motor function. Men aged 28.1 ± 6.7 years with complete ACL ruptures were randomized to either a control (physiotherapy) or an experimental group (physiotherapy + KT) for a 4-week period. Changes in balance were assessed on the injured leg using a force platform. Knee angle reproduction, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and rate of force development (RFD) were measured using dynamometry, and pain was recorded using a visual analog scale. Decreases in knee pain and improvements in angle reproduction were observed in both groups ( p < 0.05), with a greater effect on angle reproduction in the experimental group ( p < 0.05). Both groups demonstrated increased isometric knee flexor MVC and RFD values ( p < 0.05), but an increase in RFD of the knee extensors was observed only in the experimental group ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, the MVC of concentric knee flexors at 60°·s -1 increased only in the experimental group ( p < 0.05), whereas concentric MVC at 180°·s -1 -resulting in greater hamstring-to-quadriceps ratios-increased in both groups ( p < 0.05). Balancing ability on the injured leg increased only in the experimental group ( p < 0.05). Thus, KT plus physiotherapy was beneficial in the treatment of proprioception, strength, and static balance in these individuals with an ACL rupture.