Kinesio taping does not enhance jump performance and muscle activity in female athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Kinesio Taping (KT) application on the single-leg counter-movement jump (CMJ) and surface electromyographic (sEMG) activity in trained female athletes, in both resting and fatigued states. In this single-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial, twenty-four healthy trained female athletes were randomly assigned to either the KT (n = 12) or the sham tape group (n = 12). KT was applied using an inhibi- tion technique on rectus femoris, vastus medialis, biceps femo- ris, and lateral gastrocnemius muscles of the dominant leg. A single-leg CMJ test and sEMG activity were recorded at baseline (no tape), as well as at 1 hour, 24 hours, and 48 hours after tap- ing. To induce acute neuromuscular fatigue, a 30-second re- petitive CMJ test was used to evaluate KT in fatigued states. In the resting states, both groups exhibited improvements in jump height, power, mean velocity, and sEMG activity ( %EMGmax) over time, with no significant between-group differences. The single-leg CMJ performance was similarly decreased after the muscle fatigue protocol in both groups, showing no between- group differences. Our findings suggest that KT treatment does not appear to influence jumping performance, sEMG activity, or muscle fatigue in female athletes.