The Immediate Effects of Three Different Ankle Taping on Static Postural Stability in Healthy Amateur Athletes

Functional taping is a widely used intervention for injury prevention. However, it remains unclear how ankle taping affects postural stability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of three different ankle tapings on static postural stability. Non-taping, rigid ankle taping, Mulligan taping and neuromuscular tape were tested during Unilateral Stance Test (US) and Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction in Balance (mCTSIB) using posturography. 68 subjects were included in the final study (55.9% male; 44.1 % female; median age 23 years, IQR: 21–25) after excluding 26 for chronic ankle instability. In US with eyes open, no significant differences were observed between taping conditions. Conversely, in US with eyes closed, significant differences were recorded in center of gravity sway and number of falls, with increased values using rigid taping. mCTSIB showed small but significant differences in firm surface with eyes open and unstable surface with eyes closed, with no falls recorded. Ankle taping shows variable effects depending on postural demands, being trivial in low-demand conditions but significant in challenging situations. On unstable surfaces and closed eyes, taping tends to improve postural stability. However, on firm surfaces taping seems to provide no benefits, and rigid taping might even impair postural stability, by increasing fall risk. These findings emphasize the need for contextualized application of ankle taping, carefully considering specific environmental and task demands to optimize their efficacy in injury prevention.