title: Kinesio Tape and Shoulder-Joint Position Sense.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Joint position sense (JPS) is a key neuromuscular factor for developing and maintaining control of muscles around a joint. It is important when performing specialized tasks, especially at the shoulder. No researchers have studied how Kinesio Tape (KT) application affects JPS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of KT application and no tape on shoulder JPS at increasing shoulder elevations in athletes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 27 healthy athletes who did not participate in overhead sports (age = 20.44 ± 1.05 years, height = 175.02 ± 11.67 cm, mass = 70.74 ± 9.65 kg) with no previous pathologic shoulder conditions volunteered for the study. All participants were from 1 university.
  
  
  METHODS
  Shoulder JPS was assessed at increasing elevations with and without KT application. Participants attempted to actively replicate 3 target positions with and without the KT and without visual guidance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined absolute and variable repositioning errors at increasing shoulder-elevation levels with and without KT application.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data revealed an interaction between tape and position for absolute error (F2,52 = 4.07, P = .02); simple effects revealed an increase in error, with KT demonstrating a 2.65° increase in error at 90° of elevation compared with no tape (t26 = 2.65, P = .01). The effect size was medium (ω(2) = .135). Variable error showed no interaction of tape and position (F2,52 = .709, P = .50). Further analysis of simple effects was not needed. However, we still calculated the effect size and observed small effect sizes for tape (ω(2) = .002), position (ω(2) = .072), and tape by position (ω(2) = .027).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At 90° of elevation, shoulder JPS was impaired by the application of KT.
authors.affiliation: Ms Aarseth is now with Black Hills Surgical Hospital, Rapid City, SD.
authors.forename: Lindsay M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Aarseth
authors.affiliation: Western Washington University, Bellingham.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Suprak
authors.affiliation: Western Washington University, Bellingham.
authors.forename: Gordon R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.affiliation: Western Washington University, Bellingham.
authors.forename: Lonnie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.affiliation: Western Washington University, Bellingham.
authors.forename: Dylan T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Dahlquist
mesh_terms: D055052:Athletic Tape; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: neuromuscular; proprioception; rehabilitation; shoulder; taping