Research shows positive kinesio tape impact on reducing muscle soreness after intense exercise
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a well-known phenomenon that occurs after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise, particularly if the exercise involves a lot of eccentric contractions.1 Theories for this phenomenon include lactic acid accumulation, muscle spasms, connective tissue damage, muscle damage, inflammation, and enzyme efflux theories.1,2
The research study, “Effects of Kinesio Taping on the Relief of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial,” concludes that kinesio taping (KT) has an impact on reducing muscle soreness after intense exercise.
Symptoms of DOMS include muscle soreness, swelling, reduction in range of motion, maximal strength and performance, and increases in muscle damage and inflammatory markers in blood.3,4 The intensity of the discomfort and soreness associated with DOMS increases within the first 24 hours, peaks between 24-72 hours, and eventually disappears 5-7 days after the exercise.5
The effects of kinesio taping on delayed onset muscle soreness
The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of kinesio taping (KT) on delayed onset muscle soreness in a randomized controlled study. In the study, 54 non-athletic volunteers were assigned randomly to KT and placebo KT groups.
An intense exercise protocol consisted of 100 consecutive drop jumps from a 0.60-m-high platform, where kinesio tape was applied with the fan technique on the quadriceps muscles in the KT group. The placebo KT group received the kinesio tape, but with no technique and tension.
The resulting muscle soreness was significantly lower in the KT group relative to the placebo KT group at 72 hours postexercise. The serum creatine kinase level was significantly higher in the KT group compared with the placebo KT group at 72 hours post-exercise. The findings indicated that KT intervention following the intense exercise protocol reduced muscle soreness, and application after intense exercise also increased serum creatine kinase levels.
Alternative KT interventions for the treatment of DOMS
Kinesio taping for lymphatic drainage is an alternative intervention for the treatment of DOMS. According to the KT manufacturer, the tape causes microconvolutions, or folds in the skin, which cause a lifting of the skin away from the tissue beneath.7,8
This lifting effect of KT may facilitate a release in pressure on soft tissues underneath and provides space for lymphatic fluid movement.9 The manufacturer also suggests that the increase in lymphatic fluid movement can decrease edema, pain, and muscle spasms, and improves range of motion and muscle strength.7,8 Thus, it could be postulated that KT would be an effective means to enhance recovery after DOMS.
Several studies have investigated the effects of KT on muscle damage after exercise.10–12 Lee (et al.)10 reported that KT reduced pain and improved muscle function and strength compared with no KT following eccentric exercise in healthy males.
This was the first randomized controlled trial directly comparing the timewise effect of KT on relieving DOMS. The study demonstrated that KT intervention following an intense exercise protocol reduced muscle soreness. However, KT failed to accelerate the restoration of muscle strength and vertical jump height. No effect of KT on the time course of serum LDH, myoglobin, and C-reactive protein levels was observed during the 72-hour recovery period.
Understanding muscle soreness mechanisms
The mechanism surrounding muscle soreness following intense exercise is not well understood; it seems likely to be related to inflammation, particularly in the connective tissue elements that sensitize nociceptors in muscle and hence increase sensations of pain.22 Previous studies have demonstrated that muscle soreness increased and peaked at 48 hours after exercise and subsequently decreased.2,13,22
Cheung (et al.)2 reported that one of the reasons why DOMS pain reaches a maximum value within 48 hours is an increase in the permeability of the muscle cell membranes by CK levels as a result of muscle damage. Similarly, in this study, muscle soreness increased immediately postexercise, peaked at 48 hours post-exercise in both groups, and subsequently decreased. Lee (et al.)10 found that KT alleviated muscle soreness by improving muscle strength and function compared with a control group at 24, 48, and 72 hours after eccentric exercise. Haksever (et al.)12 also showed that KT following eccentric fatigue training reduced DOMS pain on the second and seventh days.
There were two reasons to explain the decreased perception of muscle soreness resulting from KT:
- KT stimulated the golgi tendon organ and triggered autogenic inhibition.
- The increase in metabolic activity resulting from muscle contractions was effective in reducing muscle soreness.
In this study, the muscle soreness level was similar immediately post-exercise in both groups, but the decrease in the muscle soreness was greater and started earlier in postexercise measurements in the KT group. This result suggests that KT was effective in reducing the muscle soreness. The decrease in muscle soreness may be a result of KT affecting subjective pain perception.
Post-exercise measurements
Many studies have observed that muscle soreness causes a reduction in vertical jump height immediately postexercise.13,18 In this study, the decrease in vertical jump height started immediately postexercise in the placebo KT group. However, the reduction in vertical jump height started at 48 hours postexercise in the KT group.
Vertical jump height also increased between 48-72 hours postexercise in the KT group. Kase8 proposed that KT stimulates the mechanoreceptors of the skin and increases circulation. In this way, KT may eliminate edema in muscle caused by strenuous exercise, especially with eccentric contraction, and may improve muscle performance.
Positive results moving into further studies
Further studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms of KT on muscle damage markers.
One limitation of the present study was that interventions and measurements were followed only 72 hours post exercise-induced muscle damage, and full recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage was not monitored. Another limitation was the lack of blinded assessment, which should be observed in clinical trials with KT.
This was the first randomized, placebo-controlled study investigating the effects of KT on DOMS, revealing that KT likely helps to reduce muscle soreness after intense exercise, and that KT application after intense exercise increased serum creatine kinase levels, protecting muscles from damage.
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