The Effects of Kinesio Taping on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Muscle Function

Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the effects of kinesio taping on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle strength recovery. Methods:Thirty-two healthy male college students (20.9±1.3 yr) were assigned randomly in four groups, pre-exercise KT group (N=8) , post-exercise KT group (N=8) , placebo KT group (N=8) and control group (N=8) . Participants performed full-squat leapfrog and 30 times half squatting jump in weight (10 kg) to induce DOMS in quadriceps femoris. Muscle soreness and maximal isokinetic strength were measured in post-exercise, immediately after, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours post-exercise. Results:The subjective pain score was not statistically significant in the interactive effect of time and group (P>0.05) after DOMS, and the main effect of the group were statistically significant (P<0.01) . The subjective pain score of two KT groups were lower than those in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05) . The muscle tenderness was statistically significant in the interactive effect of time and group (P< 0.01) . The post-hoc analysis indicated that two KT group were higher than control group in 48 h (P< 0.05) , and pre-exercise KT group were higher than control group in 24 h and 72 h. There was no significant difference in serum CK level both the main effect of groups and the interactive effect of time and group (P> 0.05) . The peak torque was statistically significant in the interactive effect of time and group (P< 0.01) . The peak torque in pre-exercise KT group was higher than that of control group at 48 h (P< 0.05) , 72 h and 96 h (P< 0.01) . There was no significant difference between 72 h, 96 h and baseline in the peak torque of pre-exercise KT group (P> 0.05) . The time points in control group were smaller than the baseline level after exercise. Conclusion:Kinesio taping did not improve the serum CK level during recovery from DOMS. But Kinesio taping can relieve muscle soreness after DOMS and promote the recovery of muscle strength.