Affiliations: [a] KinesioLab, Research Unit in Human Movement, Piaget Institute, Lisbon, Portugal
| [b] INEGI: Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Porto, Portugal
| [c] Liberal Arts Department - American University of the Middle East, Kuwait
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Joana Filipa Dias Silva Lourenço, KinesioLab, Av. João Paulo II, Lote 544-2º - 1950-157 Lisbon, Portugal. Tel.: +351 218 316 500; E-mail: 55794@ipiaget.pt.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:It is known, among the elderly population, the decrease in functional capacity to perform daily free-living activities, with the occurrence of falls quite frequently. The muscular component must be prepared for a better performance in motor tasks, reason why the application of Kinesio Taping™ band appears as an intervention to consider, so the aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the Kinesio Taping™ method on the balance of a senior group. METHOD:A sample of 28 subjects was divided into 2 groups: a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). The balance was assessed using two scales: The Time-UP & Go Test (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). At first, individuals from both groups were assessed using both Scales. Subsequently, to the individuals belonging to EG, the Kinesio Taping™ method was applied (KT™), in the anterior tibial and peroneal in both lower limbs in CG KT™ was applied as a placebo. A day later, in a second visit, the performance of both groups was again evaluated using the mentioned scales. RESULTS:In CG, no statistically significant differences were observed in between testing days, (TUG day 1 vs TUG day 2: p = 0.842); (BBS day 1 vs BBS day 2: p = 0.157). On the other hand, statistically significant differences were observed in the experimental group, where TUG performance was faster after KT™ (p = 0.001) and BBS was higher (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION:The results demonstrate that the Kinesio Taping™ application had positive effects on balance and these results could help the prevention of falls in the elderly.
