The comparison of the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and Kinesio Taping on ankle swelling in athletes with lateral ankle sprain

PURPOSE: Ankle swelling (AS) is one of the main complaints in athletes with a lateral ankle sprain (LAS) in the acute phase. Reducing AS may help the athlete to return to training faster. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Kinesio Taping® (KT) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in reducing AS in athletes with a LAS. METHODS: Thirty-one athletes with a unilateral ankle sprain from various sports were allocated to either KT (N = 16; mean age of 24.1 years) or NMES (N = 15; mean age of 26.4 years) groups. KT was applied over the medial and lateral ankle surfaces in the Fan cut pattern for five consecutive days; however, NMES was applied to the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles for 30 min. Outcome measures to assess the extent of AS included volumetry, perimetry, relative volumetry, and the difference in both ankles’ volumetry and perimetry at baseline, after the interventions, and 15 days following the treatment completion. RESULTS: The results of the mixed model repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated no significant difference between the two groups in mean changes in outcomes over pre- and post-interventions as well as follow-up periods (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: None of the KT and NMES methods could reduce acute AS in athletes with LAS. Further studies are needed in this area of research that consider changes in treatment protocol given the variety of NMES approaches and KT applications that can be used in recovery from an ankle sprain.