Effects Of Kinesio Taping Combined With Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation On Individuals With Functional Ankle Instability

Objectives:(1)To investigate the effect of conventional functional exercise(CON)on neuromuscular control and posture stability in individuals with functional ankle instability(FAI);(2)To evaluate the effectiveness of the Kinesio Taping(KT)on improving the posture stability of patients with FAI;(3)To investigate the effect of KT combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation(NMES)on muscle strength,neuromuscular control,posture stability and self-reported outcome of ankle function questionnaire of individuals with FAI.Methods:A randomized control design was used in this experimental study.A total of 45individuals with FAI were recruited in Wuhan Sports University and surrounding colleges from September 2017 to Jane 2018,and were randomly divided into control group,KT group,and KT+NMES group,with each group having 15 patients.Individuals in the control group received CON including strength training and balance training,while KT group received KT around ankle in addition to the same CON as received by the control group.And KT+NMES group received NMES on the peroneal muscles(PM).All the individuals were treated three times a week for eight weeks.Outcome measurements were taken at baseline,and at the eight weeks follow up.Primary outcome measures included peak torque of evertor(E-PT),pre-reaction time of PM(PM-PRT)and electromechanical delay of PM(PM-EMD)during eccentric contraction,Y Balance Test(YBT),Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool(CAIT),and Perceived Ankle Instability scale(PAI).Research data were sorted using the Microsoft Excel and entered into the SPSS 20.0 for statistical analysis.To compare the three groups,measurement data were analyzed by One-way ANOVA analysis,and numerical data were analyzed by the Chi-square test.Pre-test and post-test score comparison within each group was conducted by a paired t test.p<.05 was considered to be statistically significant,and results were presented in the form of(_x±s).Results:(1)There were no statistical differences in the base line scores of the E-PT,PM-PRT,PM-EMD,YBT,CAIT and PAI between the three groups(p>0.05).(2)The post-test scores of the E-PT,YBT,and PAI in the three groups were significantly improved after intervention(p<0.05),while the post-test scores of the PM-PRT in the three groups were not significantly changed after intervention(p<0.05).And the post-test scores of the PM-EMD in the KT+NMES group were significantly shortened after intervention.(3)The improvement of the YBT score and the PAI score in the KT group were greater than in the control group(p<0.05),and no significant difference was observed in other outcomes(p>0.05).(4)The KT+NMES group had a greater improvement in E-PT,PM-EMD,YBT,CAIT,and PAI compared with control group and KT group(p<0.05).Conclusion:(1)Conventional functional exercise can significantly improve the muscle strength of PM,posture stability,and scores of the self-reported outcomes of ankle function questionnaire,but cannot alleviate the deficit on neuromuscular control;(2)KT is helpful to further improve the posture stability and self-perceived ankle stability,but has no positive effect on muscle strength and neuromuscular control;(3)NMES is effective to enhance the muscle strength of PM,posture stability,neuromuscular control and scores of the self-reported outcomes;(4)Combined with KT or/and NMES based on conventional functional exercise can further alleviate the functional impairments in individuals with FAI,which may facilitate general rehabilitation of those patients.