Immediate Effect of a Kinesiotape Bandage on Knee Mechanics during Functional Tests in Female Rugby and Football Athletes: A Pilot Study

Background: Some bandages with Kinesiotape have demonstrated some potential as means of prevention for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in men. Objective: The main objective of this pilot study was to observe if a Kinesiotape bandage at the knee could potentially have an immediate preventive effect against ACL injuries by improving proprioception and balance and reducing knee valgus and anterior translation of the tibia during certain functional tests in female athletes. Materials and Methods: A cross-over clinical trial including 10 female athletes (football and rugby) was conducted, where the two lower limbs of the 10 participants (n = 20) were randomly assigned to the intervention group (IG) or to the control group (CG). A Kinesiotape bandage was placed on one knee with a tension of 75% (IG, n = 10) and another bandage on the other knee with a tension of 10% (CG, n = 10), as a placebo. Ultrasound assessment and functional tests were performed before (T1) and after (T2) bandaging according to group assignment. A videographic analysis was carried out with the ImageJ Software version 2.0. Results: A statistically significant reduction in knee valgus was observed in the Lateral Step Down test in the IG, compared to the CG (p < 0.05; eta 2p = 0.26) (IG-T1: 151.40 +/- 11.04 degrees; IG-T2: 157.10 +/- 10.18 degrees; versus CG-T1: 156.96 +/- 5.44 degrees; CG-T2: 158.68 +/- 6.12 degrees). In the other tests, no significant differences were found in terms of time x group interaction. Conclusions: A Kinesiotape bandage was able to reduce knee valgus in a functional test compared to a placebo bandage but was not more effective at reducing the anterior translation of the tibia or improving balance or proprioception. Based on these results, it could have a modest preventive effect against an ACL injury in female athletes.