The effect of long-term use of ankle taping on balance Stephanie McGregor Dr. Mike Pavol Exercise and Sports Science Oregon State University HHMI 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 ▫D▫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 open On ground Eyes open On foam Eyes closed On ground Eyes closed On 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 Similar results for COM A/P motion

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

Greater short term slope with taping Non-tapers Tapers Similar results for critical displacement with eyes closed

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

Changes in COP M/L motion with taping when 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

Acknowledgements Special 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)