Kinematic Characteristics of the Knee Joint According to the Purpose of Elastic Taping

Abstract

When elastic taping that fits the direction of the muscles, it is generally effective in assisting muscles and realigning joints. However, the size of the taping effect may vary depending on which exercise is primarily supported. In this study, the kinematic effects were confirmed by elastic taping to assist knee flexion and knee extension, which are movements in the sagittal plane of the knee joint. Subjects consisted of 2 people. The subject repeatedly performed the motion of ascending and descending the 30cm step box in each of the three cases of non-taping, knee flexion taping, and knee extension taping. The subject performed one motion every two seconds for one minute and extracted data from the last three steps. analyze the change in motion of the knee joint, motion analysis was performed using a reflective marker. And the co-contraction of the major muscles that influence the movement of the knee joint was analyzed through the EMG of the muscles. In the range of motion of the knee joint angle in the sagittal plane, when knee extension taping (91.5±2.23°) is performed, the movement is more limited than when knee flexion taping (101.23±4.96°) and non-taping (99.00±4.81°) are performed. And the tibial anterior translation force increased in some sections. These results suggest that the risk of injury to structures constituting the knee joint, such as ACL injury, may increase when knee extension taping is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these points to prevent injury in elastic taping.