ELSEVIER Gait & Posture 5 (1997) l-5 An investigation of the anti-pronation effect of two taping methods after application and exercise B. Vicenzino*, J. Feilding, R. Howard, R. Moore, S. Smith Department of Physiotherapy. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Received 22 May 1995; accepted 30 October 1995 Abstract This study investigated the effect of two anti-pronation taping techniques on vertical navicular height, an indicator of foot prona- tion, after its application and 20 min of exercise. The taping techniques were: the low dye (LD) and low dye with the addition of calcaneal slings and reverse sixes (LDCR). A repeated measures study was used. It found that LDCR was superior to LD and control immediately after application and exercise. LD was better than control immediately after application but not after exercise. These findings provide practical directions to clinicians regularly using anti-pronation taping techniques. Keywords: Pronation; Tape; Biomechanics; Foot; Lower limb; Physical Therapy 1. Introduction Overuse injuries of the lower limb constitute a signifi- cant problem in terms of their prevalence and in- terference to athletic activity, such as jogging, aerobics and cycling [l]. Many of these injuries are associated with abnormal lower limb biomechanics such as ex- cessive or prolonged foot pronation during stance phase of gait (l-41. The challenge confronting the clinician who is manag- ing a patient with an overuse lower limb condition is whether a relationship exists between the patient’s con- dition and any observed abnormal pronation. Rigid ad- hesive sports tape is often used to test this relationship [2,5,6]. A concurrent reduction or abolition of symp- toms associated with the tape induced reduction of pro- nation contirrns the link between pain and abnormal pronation. It is also a strong clinical indicator for biomechanical interventions such as orthotic and exer- cise therapy [2,5,6]. Most overuse conditions manifest themselves during weight bearing activities such as standing, walking, jogg- ing or running for a period of time. Therefore, the effi- cacy of any taping technique can only be assessed if it l Corresponding author. is able to prevent abnormal pronation for this period of time. Ator et al. [7] demonstrated that although two commonly used taping methods (Low Dye (LD) and Double-X (DX)) were able to reduce pronation im- mediately after their application, this effect was not present after 10 min of jogging. The loss of effectiveness with tape following activity is one criticism often levell- ed at its use 181.One possible reason for the loss of effec- tiveness of LD and DX after exercise could be the poor leverage exerted by tape applied solely to the foot. It is our experience that adding calcaneal slings and reverse sixes to the LD (LDCR) produces a greater and longer lasting anti-pronation effect. The extension of tape up the limb has been previously suggested to increase sup- port in cases requiring it [5]. In the closed kinetic chain, pronation is a triplanar motion which involves as well as other movements; plantarflexion and adduction of the talus, unlocking of the midtarsal joint, forefoot abduction and a reduction in the medial longitudinal arch and vertical navicular height (VNH) [1,9]. An excessive amount of these motions occur when abnormal pronation is present [lo]. The VNH is a reliable and valid indicator of pronation and has been previously used in research [7]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differ- ence between LD and LDCR on VNH immediately following application and after exercise. UYhh-6362/Y7/$17.01) Copyright 6 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved PII SO966-6362(9S)OlO61-D