BACKGROUND: Soccer, one of the most popular and well-known sports worldwide, involves complex motions such as running, quick changes in direction, jumping, and landing, all of which have a high risk of injury. Among them, ankle injuries are the most frequent.
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the immediate effects of ankle balance taping (ABT) with kinesiology tape on the dynamic balance of young male soccer players with functional ankle instability (FAI).
METHODS: Nine young male soccer players with FAI in their dominant ankle were randomly subjected to no-, placebo-, and real-ABT conditions. After the appropriate treatment was administered, the dynamic balance was measured using the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT).
RESULTS: In terms of the anterior and posterolateral reach distances on the SEBT, the real-ABT condition showed statistically significant increases compared to the no- and placebo-ABT conditions (p < 0.05), while in the case of posteromedial reach distances, the real-ABT condition showed a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) compared to the no-ABT condition.
CONCLUSION: ABT using kinesiology tape can be expected to improve the dynamic balance of young male soccer players with FAI.
