To evaluate how applying kinesio taping impacts lower back muscle discomfort immediately after use and 24 hours later during a cross-country skiing camp for college students. The current research employed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled methodology. Of the 60 attendees at a winter skiing camp, 54 consented to join the research (average age 21.3 years, including 20 females and 34 males). Post 3 days of intense cross-country skiing training (lasting 4 hours each day), the volunteers were, balanced by gender, randomly categorized into three groups. One group received kinesio taping on the lower back, another had placebo tape applied, and the third group did not receive any tape. A two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction revealed that the lower back muscle soreness levels in the kinesio taping group decreased significantly from the initial measurement to 24 hours post-application (p= 0.020). Kinesio taping reduced low back muscle discomfort 24 hours after use following several days of cross-country skiing in physically active college students. The kinesio taping technique may prove advantageous in alleviating post-exercise delayed onset muscle soreness among healthy college-level athletes.
Mild low back muscle soreness from several days of XC skiing in active college students decreased 24 h after KT application (by less than 1 point, or <10%). The KT method could be beneficial for minimizing post-exercise 24 h DOMS and facilitating a quicker return to physical activities in healthy college-level athletes. Thus, athletic trainers and physical therapists might use KT on athletes before competitions to regulate muscle soreness or cramping.
Merino-Marban, R., Smuka, I., Romero-Ramos, O., Fernandez-Rodriguez, E., & Mayorga-Vega, D. (2021). Acute and 24 h effect of kinesio taping on lower back muscle soreness during continued practice of cross-country skiing among collegiate students. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(21), 2427–2433. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1936958
