Does Kinesio Taping on the calf muscles actually improve athletes’ jumping or balance compared with nonelastic tape?

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This crossover randomized controlled trial tested whether Kinesio Taping (KT) applied to the triceps surae, a calf muscle group, improved muscle performance during vertical jump (VJ), horizontal jump (HJ), and dynamic balance (DB) in healthy college athletes.

The participants were 20 athletes, including 11 men, competing in four sports: track and field, handball, volleyball, and soccer. Their mean age was 22.3 ± 3.3 years, mean height was 1.74 ± 0.08 m, and mean body mass was 67.8 ± 10.1 kg.

For the intervention, KT was applied from the origin of the triceps surae to its insertion with the aim of increasing muscle performance. The placebo condition used tape with nonelastic properties.

There were no significant differences between KT and placebo in vertical jump height (KT: 0.18 ± 0.06 m; placebo: 0.17 ± 0.06 m; p = 0.14) or horizontal jump distance (KT: 1.48 ± 0.3 m; placebo: 1.47 ± 0.3 m; p = 0.40). Dynamic balance was assessed using the star excursion balance test, with reach distance described in the abstract as measured in meters and normalized by lower limb length. There were no significant differences in any of the reported directions: anterior (KT: 90.0 ± 6.7; placebo: 89.5 ± 7.5; p = 0.56), posterolateral (KT: 92.5 ± 7.5; placebo: 93.2 ± 5.8; p = 0.52), or posteromedial (KT: 98.3 ± 6.7; placebo: 98.7 ± 7.4; p = 0.69).

The KT technique was not found useful for improving performance in these sports-related movements in healthy college athletes. The authors therefore concluded that athletes should not consider KT applied to the triceps surae when the sole reason for applying it is to increase jumping and balance performance.