Acute Effect of Kinesio Taping Applied to Gastrocnemius Muscle on Jumping Performance in Athletes and Sedentary Individuals

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the acute effect of kinesio taping applied to athletes and sedentary individuals on vertical and horizontal jumping performances. Methods: The study included 20 licensed male basketball players and 20 male sedentary individuals between the ages of 18-25. Vertical jump height and horizontal jump distance were evaluated. Free jumping and squat jumping tests were applied to measure the vertical jump height. Single leg hop test was chosen for the measurement of horizontal jump distance. Single leg hop test was performed with the dominant foot. Tests after kinesio taping were performed 10 minutes after facilitation technique was applied to gastrocnemius muscle. Results: A comparison of the pre- and post-taping data in the athlete group revealed a significant increase in both squat jump and single leg hop tests (p<0.05). In the sedentary group, there was a significant increase only in the single leg hop test compared to before taping (p<0.05). All pretest and posttest values of the athlete group were higher than the sedentary group (p>0.05). In terms of the performance increases after kinesio taping, the increases in the athlete group were higher for all tests compared to the sedentary group (p>0.05). Conclusions: Our study revealed that kinesio taping can improve jumping performance in both athletes and sedentary individuals. We think that kinesio taping could improve the performance especially in sports where jumping movements are frequently used such as basketball.