Effects of the Application Direction of Kinesio Taping on Isometric Muscle Strength of the Wrist and Fingers of Healthy Adults — A Pilot Study

[Purpose] The purposes of this study were to investigate the immediate and delayed effects of two directions of Kinesio taping (KT) on maximal isometric strength of the wrist and finger muscles of healthy adults and compare their differences. [Subjects] Nineteen healthy junior college students participated in this study. [Methods] The inhibition and facilitation KT techniques were separately used to tape on the dominant and non-dominant forearms of the participants, respectively. Maximal isometric strength of wrist extension, middle finger extension, and grip of both hands were measured before taping, immediately after taping, and after 24 h of taping (with the tape in situ). [Results] Compared with the baseline, the average maximal isometric strength of middle finger extensors increased considerably after application of the facilitation technique. No significant time effect was observed for measurement of middle finger extension strength on the dominant side or for wrist extension and grip strength on both sides. Significant differences between both taping techniques were observed for wrist and middle finger extension strength immediately after taping, and for middle finger extension after 24 h of taping. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the application direction of KT may have different effects on isometric muscle strength. Future studies involving a larger sample of subjects and a sham condition are warranted to confirm our findings.