Effect of protective taping on knee eversion angle and jump height during single-leg vertical jumps in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Yoshinori Komatsu, Hiroko Sasaki
PMID 39493689WHAT IT FOUND
Protective knee taping after ACL reconstruction reduced knee eversion during landing but also lowered jump height.
Both elastic and non-elastic tapes produced similar effects. The study involved only ten participants, so these findings do not prove taping prevents reinjury or preserves performance.
Key findings
01Knee eversion angle was significantly lower with both elastic and non-elastic taping compared to no taping.
02Jumping height was significantly lower with both types of taping compared to no taping.
03There were no significant differences between elastic and non-elastic tape in any measured outcome.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only ten participants were studied, which is too few to draw reliable conclusions. The study measured kinematics during a single task (single-leg vertical jump) and cannot confirm effects during other sports movements. Taping strain on the ACL itself was not measured, so the mechanism of any protective effect is unknown. The study did not assess whether reduced eversion actually translates to lower reinjury rates. Performance decline (jump height) was observed but not linked to functional outcomes or patient-reported impact.
Declared interests
The study was supported by grants from Sendai Seiyo Gakuin College. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that protective taping prevents ACL reinjury or is a safe performance strategy. This study measured only knee eversion and jump height in ten people, not reinjury rates or functional outcomes. The reduction in jump height shows a potential cost to performance that was not evaluated in real-world sports tasks.