Effect of kinesio taping™ on the balance in the elderly

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

It is known, among the elderly population, the decrease in functional capacity to perform daily free-living activities, with the occurrence of falls quite frequently. The muscular component must be prepared for a better performance in motor tasks, reason why the application of Kinesio Taping^™ band appears as an intervention to consider, so the aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the Kinesio Taping^™ method on the balance of a senior group.

METHOD:

A sample of 28 subjects was divided into 2 groups: a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). The balance was assessed using two scales: The Time-UP & Go Test (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). At first, individuals from both groups were assessed using both Scales. Subsequently, to the individuals belonging to EG, the Kinesio Taping^™ method was applied (KT^™), in the anterior tibial and peroneal in both lower limbs in CG KT^™ was applied as a placebo. A day later, in a second visit, the performance of both groups was again evaluated using the mentioned scales.

RESULTS:

In CG, no statistically significant differences were observed in between testing days, (TUG day 1 vs TUG day 2: p = 0.842); (BBS day 1 vs BBS day 2: p = 0.157). On the other hand, statistically significant differences were observed in the experimental group, where TUG performance was faster after KT^™ (p = 0.001) and BBS was higher (p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION:

The results demonstrate that the Kinesio Taping^™ application had positive effects on balance and these results could help the prevention of falls in the elderly.