Efficacy of Ankle Kinesio Taping on Balance and Functional Performance in Obese Female Collegiate Students: A Prospective Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Nesma M Allam^1*Hadaya Mosaad Eladl¹Dalia Mahmoud Abdelmonem Elsherbini²Moaz Abulfaraj³Moneer E. Almadani⁴Ateya Megahed^5,6Mohamed El-Sherbiny⁷Mohamed Ahmed Eladl⁸Nermin Nosseir⁹Reda Jamjoom³

• ¹Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Science, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
• ²Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Al Jouf University, Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia
• ³Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
• ⁴Department of clinical medicine- surgery unit, Collage of medicine, Almaarefah University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁵College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
• ⁶Department of Family and Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Port Said University, Port Said, Port Said, Egypt
• ⁷Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Almaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁸Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
• ⁹Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of ankle Kinesio taping (KT) on static and dynamic balance and functional performance in obese female collegiate students.Design: This was a prospective, randomized controlled trial.Setting: Outpatient Physical therapy settings.Participants: Forty female collegiate students, 18-25 years old, were randomly assigned to two equal groups.Intervention: Group A (KT group) received KT with 75%-100% tension, and group B (Placebo KT group) received placebo KT with 0% tension. KT was applied to the dominant leg in both groups for six weeks.Outcome measures: The primary outcome was static balance, which was measured using the single-leg stance test (SLST). The secondary outcomes were dynamic balance, assessed using the Biodex Balance System (BBS), and functional performance, assessed using the single-leg vertical jump test (SLVJT) and single-leg hop test (SLHT). All outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks.The KT group showed a statistically significant increase in SLS, SLVJT, and SLHT (p < 0.001) compared to the placebo KT group. In contrast, a statistically significant decrease was noted in the OSI, MLSI, and APSI (p < 0.001) in the KT group relative to the control group after a period of 6 weeks.and dynamic balance and functional performance in obese female university students compared with the placebo group. It is recommended to include KT in the treatment plan for obese females with balance and functional performance deficits.