SCI8103 Research Fundamentals and Ethics

Introduction:

Soccer is one of the most sought-after and appreciated games with players all around the world extensively participating in it. However, it is also the sport which has the most number of incidences of physical traumas in comparison to other forms of group sports. It is also noteworthy to mention that among the injuries that football players sustain in the sport, injuries in the ankles is by far the most commonly occurred and the most frequent. For ankles that have been moderately injured, the average recovery time is around 28 days while for the severely injured ankles, the recovery time is around 61 days. Footballers run a higher risk of ankle injuries than the players of any other sports.

The following paper will consist of a literature review highlighting the consequences of Kinesio Taping in the treatment of ankle injuries of Footballers. The paper will end with a conclusion summarizing the mentioned points.

Discussion:

According to numerous researches conducted, among the athletes who suffer an ankle injury, 59% showcase residual symptoms while 73% sustain a further injury similar to the previous one. Therefore, it can be argued that there is a higher prevalence of ankle osteoarthritis among athletes associated with football than other sports. Another argument that can be made is the inadequacy of the present methods of rehabilitation given the higher percentage of persistent symptoms, re-injuries and long term complications that end up severely affecting the careers of the athletes. Therefore, as research on this topic is relevant and important, this research question was selected.

One of the basic necessities before understanding the implication of applying KT for the rehabilitation of in ankle sprain is understanding the dynamics of the injury. Ankle injuries including the inversion of the strain occurring in the sub-talar joint results in affliction and agony to the body and soft tissues. These can be related to the modifications in the standard functioning of the specific juncture along with pain.          

The usage of Kinesiology Tapes(KP) is followed widely throughout the world for the purpose of performance enhancement and the prevention and treatment of injuries. KT has been known to demonstrate significantly more consistency in the maintenance of support than any other type of elastic tapes, higher late stiffness and lower initial stiffness. In essence, KT accommodate increased movement in a joint initially while becoming more resistant the more it is stretched. Thus, as it accommodates the movement of the joint through a normal range while becoming more resistant as it is stretched which is perfect for joint application. Additionally, its usage is appropriate where repetitive movements occur as it is more resilient to repeated stretching.

A research conducted by Daniel Bailey and Paul Firth discussed the effects of Kinesiology tapings in terms of proprioceptive control in soccer players. The goal of the research was to understand the consequences of bilateral application Kinesio Taping to the ankles of footballers in order to see whether it improves their lower limb proprioception. Proprioception can be explained as more than the accumulative data of the sensory statistics. It is because the proprioceptive performance of an individual additionally depends on their capability of integrating the information along with its effective usage to propel changes in the performance during task execution. For instance, effective balance control which is fundamental for the prevention of ankle injuries is heavily reliant on the proprioceptive signals and their centralized processing received from the player's feet. However, the study effectively concluded that KT’s application to the ankles of professional soccer players does not enhance or upgrade their proprioception. Additionally, even the application of Kinesio Taping to reduce the injury risks is also not reinforced by the reserach.

For the prevention of injury and rehabilitation after an injury to the ankle, non elastic adhesive tapes have been used. These tapes have been proved to be somewhat effective in decreasing the incidence of ankle sprains along with restraining ankle inversion. KT tapes were introduced in the 1980s by Kenzo Kase. The purpose of it was the improvement of joint functions by the enhancement of the sensory mechanisms, facilitation in muscle relaxation, reducing Edema and improvement in the lower circulation. Although there us a growth in its popularity and clinical practice in physical therapy, there is no extensive study made on the efficacy of the tapes. However, studies do show that the application of KT some gains in the short run in terms of range of motion in certain body parts, activation levels of the muscles  along with easing of pain. Few advantages of KT is that it dries quickly and is latex free. In terms of its application for the prevention of ankle sprains, it is found to be much more budget-friendly and tolerated in comparison to the application of non elastic tapes that is normally used. The elastic properties of KT enhances its ability to provide stability in terms of functionality in the athlete's ankles by relying on its manifestations on muscle activation and proprioception compared to just simply providing support mechanically. Yet, no study has been made still date to substantiate these claims.

A study was conducted in the year 2011 by Kristin Briem and others with the purpose of investigating the level of activation during a sudden ankle inversion perturbation affecting fibularis longus muscle. Two different types of conditions were contrasted with KT which were a condition of no tape(NT) and a white sports tape(WT). The objective of the study was to analyse and differentiate the two adhesive tape conditions with a NT condition in order to find out its effect on the activity of the muscles in the course of a unanticipated transposition trepidation in the players. The outcome of the study was that when the ankles were taped with non elastic tapes instead of a NT condition, there was a notable escalation in the mean muscle activity. Additionally, KT has relatively no effect on the maximum or mean muscle activity when it was compared to a NT condition. It was concluded in study that the enhancement of the advanced muscle support provided to the athlete's ankles may occur by non elastic sports tape. However, as it had relatively no significant impact on the activation of the muscles of the peroneus longus, the efficacy of the KT tapes in the prevention of sprains in the ankles is unlikely under the same mechanism.

The use of KT has been proliferated more and more in the recent years without having proper knowledge of it actual effects on muscle performance. The reason is perhaps a few stark differences it has with traditional tapes. One difference is the elasticity of KT tapes which has the potential to stretch itself up by almost 140% more than its length in normal conditions. Another difference is the force of pulling exerted on the athlete's skin which allegedly causes an increase in the space between the soft tissue and the fascia throughout the specific areas that it is applied in. A study conducted by Moises De Hoyo and others discussing the consequences of the application of KT on the response of the muscles pointed out that KT in no way produces any form of development in the short-term in the performance of the muscles in soccer players.

Another recent study conducted by Saud M Alrawaili discussed the clinical consequences of Kinesio Taping on the performance of the muscles in football players. Three conditions were considered in the study including 8 hours post KT application, immediately after KT application and without tape. The results were non significant differences in terms of total work and peak torque among the three conditions. Hence, it was concluded that the application of KT does not lead to beneficial results in terms of muscle performance.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, it can be said that although after initial usage and viewing of KT the popularity surrounding it is understandable, there is no research that proves its effectiveness in increasing muscle performance of football players. The following paper discussed the effects of KT in rehabilitation in ankle sprain in soccer players. Research indicates that KT not only does not improve the proprioception of football players, but also is ineffective in reducing risk of injury. It also does not provide muscle activation and hence, does not indicate having increased efficacy. Research also indicated that its application does not provide any type of development in the short-term in the performance of the muscles along with showing no beneficial outcomes of its application in the same aspect.

References:

Jackson, K., Simon, J.E. and Docherty, C.L., 2016. Extended use of kinesiology tape and balance in participants with chronic ankle instability. Journal of athletic training, 51(1), pp.16-21. Retrieved from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4085%2F1062-6050-51.2.03

Kim, M.K. and Shin, Y.J., 2017. Immediate effects of ankle balance taping with kinesiology tape for amateur soccer players with lateral ankle sprain: a randomized cross-over design. Medical science monitor: international medical journal of experimental and clinical research, 23, p.5534. Retrieved from: https://dx.doi.org/10.12659%2FMSM.905385

Andrýsková, A. and Lee, J.H., 2020, June. The guidelines for application of kinesiology tape for prevention and treatment of sports injuries. In Healthcare(Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 144). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8020144

Fereydounnia S, Shadmehr A, Moghadam BA, Moghadam ST, Mir SM, Salemi S, Pourkazemi F. Improvements in strength and functional performance after Kinesio taping in semi-professional male soccer players with and without functional ankle instability. The Foot. 2019 Dec 1;41:12-8. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foot.2019.06.006

Bailey, D. and Firth, P., 2017. Does kinesiology taping of the ankles affect proprioceptive control in professional football (soccer) players?. Physical Therapy in Sport, 25, pp.94-98. Retrieved from: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.09.001

Wilson, B. and Bialocerkowski, A., 2015. The effects of Kinesiotape applied to the lateral aspect of the ankle: relevance to ankle sprains–a systematic review. PLoS One, 10(6), p.e0124214. Retrieved from: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0124214

Nunes, G.S., Vargas, V.Z., Wageck, B., dos Santos Hauphental, D.P., da Luz, C.M. and de Noronha, M., 2015. Kinesio Taping does not decrease swelling in acute, lateral ankle sprain of athletes: a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy, 61(1), pp.28-33. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2014.11.002

Briem, K., Eythörsdöttir, H., Magnúsdóttir, R.G., Pálmarsson, R., Rúnarsdöttir, T. and Sveinsson, T., 2011. Effects of kinesio tape compared with nonelastic sports tape and the untaped ankle during a sudden inversion perturbation in male athletes. journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 41(5), pp.328-335. Retrieved from:

Choi, I.R. and Lee, J.H., 2018. Effect of kinesiology tape application direction on quadriceps strength. Medicine, 97(24). Retrieved from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2FMD.0000000000011038

Sarvestan, J., Ataabadi, P.A., Svoboda, Z., Kovačikova, Z. and Needle, A.R., 2020. The effect of ankle Kinesio™ taping on ankle joint biomechanics during unilateral balance status among collegiate athletes with chronic ankle sprain. Physical Therapy in Sport, 45, pp.161-167. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.06.007

De Hoyo, M., Álvarez-Mesa, A., Sañudo, B., Carrasco, L. and Domínguez, S., 2013. Immediate effect of kinesio taping on muscle response in young elite soccer players. Journal of sport rehabilitation, 22(1), pp.53-58. Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9483/17792276006b4ca6b0967ea27aa944c86754.pdf

Alrawaili, S.M., 2019. Investigating the clinical effect of kinesio tape on muscle performance in healthy young soccer players–a prospective cohort study. Clinics, 74. Retrieved from: https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-59322019000100275&script=sci_arttext

Are you in dire need of assignment help in the UK? Can’t figure out who can help you whenever you find yourself thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could pay someone to do my assignment?” With Myassignmenthelp.co.uk, you can fulfil your desires without any hassle.

Send us your requirements, and our paper writers will take care of your assignment worries quickly. So now, you don't have to worry about, "Where can I find someone to do my assignment for me in the UK?” Instead, let our experts provide you with the best assignment help in London, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool and more!