The Immediate Effect of Kinesio Tape on Hamstring Muscle Length and Strength in Female University Students: A Pre–post Experimental Study

BACKGROUND: Kinesio tape has been proposed to improve the muscle extensibility. However, there are contradictory results in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Kinesio tape on hamstring muscle lengthening and on hamstring and quadriceps muscle strengthening in university students with hamstring muscle tightness. METHODS: In this pre–post experimental study, 96 female students with hamstring muscle tightness were recruited from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and randomly assigned to Kinesio tape, sham tape, or control groups (32 in each group). The inhibition technique was used for the Kinesio tape application, with the tape being applied from the muscle insertion to the origin. Measurements were taken before and 15 min after the intervention. Outcome measurements included active knee extension test to measure the hamstring muscle length, and isometric strength measurements of hamstring and quadriceps muscles using a handheld dynamometer. RESULTS: A significant increase in the immediate hamstring muscle length was found in both the Kinesio (P = 0.001) and sham (P = 0.004) tape groups, while no difference was noted in the control group (P = 0.066). The muscle lengthening was significantly greater in the Kinesio tape group than the sham tape (P = 0.001) and control (P = 0.001) groups. There was no difference in the pre- and post-measurements in the quadriceps and hamstring muscle strengths in all three groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that applying Kinesio tape has an immediate effect on hamstring muscle extensibility, but has no effect on the quadriceps and hamstring muscle strengths. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER (NCT NUMBER): NCT03076840.