Does ankle tape improve proprioception acuity immediately after application and following a netball session? A randomised controlled trial.

Abstract Objectives To assess whether ankle tape applied by a Sport and Exercise Physiotherapist (SEP) or self-applied by the athlete results in a change in proprioception and whether it is maintained during a netball session. Design Randomised controlled trial Setting XXXXXXXX Institute of Sport Participants 53 pre-elite netball athletes Main outcome measures Athlete proprioception was assessed using the Active Movement Extent Discrimination Apparatus (AMEDA) on four occasions for each taping condition: 1) pre-tape, 2) post-tape, 3) post-netball & 4) post-netball no-tape. Results Mixed effect linear models were used for analysis. A significant increase in proprioception was observed when self-tape: 0.022 (95% CI: [-0.000 – 0.044], p=0.05), and SEP tape: 0.034 (95% CI: [0.012 – 0.055], p β = -0.001, 95% CI: [-0.02 – 0.02], p = 0.90). Conclusions Proprioception improves and is maintained during a netball session with either SEP or self-applied taping.