Immediate effects of Dynamic Tape™ on hip muscle activation and torque and on lower limb kinematics: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the immediate effect of Dynamic Tape^TM (DT) on hip muscle activation and torque and on lower limb kinematics. Forty-five healthy, recreationally active women were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) submitted to the application of DT in the active form in the gluteus medius (GMed) muscle (BG; n = 15), 2) submitted to the application of DT in the placebo form in the GMed muscle (PG; n = 15), and 3) not submitted to any intervention (CG; n = 15). Participants were evaluated for GMed and gluteus maximus (GMax) muscle activation in a maximal voluntary isometric contraction, simultaneously with the assessment of the hip abductor and extensor torques, as well as during two functional tasks - single leg squat (SLS) and jump landing + maximum vertical jump (VJ) - simultaneously with a 2-D kinematic assessment of the lower limb. After DT application in BG, there was a significant decrease in the hip abductor time to peak torque (P = 0.004), hip extensor torque (P = 0.02), excursion to hip adduction (P = 0.007), and to knee flexion (P = 0.02) during the SLS, as well as in GMed activation during VJ (P < 0.05). DT was able to reduce GMed activation and modify lower limb torque and kinematics.