The Effect of Different Prophylactic Ankle Taping on Knee Biomechanics During Landing Tasks in Healthy Individuals: A Cross‐Sectional Observational Design

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The ability to perform jumping and landing maneuvers effectively is important for athletic performance and injury prevention. The aim of this study was to compare the immediate effects of dynamic taping (DT) and Kinesio taping (KT) applied to the ankle on knee biomechanics during a single-leg countermovement jump (SL-CMJ) in healthy individuals. METHODS: ), jump height (cm), flight time (s), and ground contact time (s) during the SL-CMJ. RESULTS: Both DT and KT significantly increased peak knee valgus angle and significantly reduced jump height, flight time, and ground contact time compared with the no-taping condition (all p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between DT and KT for any of the measured outcomes (all p > 0.05). DISCUSSION: Both DT and KT altered landing biomechanics during the SL-CMJ in healthy individuals by increasing the peak knee valgus angle and reducing jump performance variables. However, no differences were observed between DT and KT, indicating that their different mechanical properties did not result in different effects on the measured outcomes. Because only healthy individuals were evaluated and only the immediate effects of taping were investigated, further studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of these biomechanical changes.