Ankle strapping and postural control : Effect of underwrap

Jacques Vaillant (1) , Nelly Barthalais (2) , Nicolas Vuillerme (3)

1 SPM
2 CRIK3 - Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation en Kinésiologie, Kinésiopathologie et Kinésithérapie
3 TIMC-IMAG-SPM - Santé, Plasticité, Motricité

Aim: This study's purpose is to estimate the effect of an elastic rubber band ankle strapping on the postural control with or without underwrap. Method: 15 healthy volunteers have been tested on a 2 feet standing position while performing a task under 3 conditions 1) without being strapped 2) with the strapping over the skin 3) with the strapping over and underwrap. The variable on trial, recorded using a force platform, was the pression center movement (CP) defined by its frontal (AP) and medial (ML) axes. We extracted CP trajectories decomposed into two elementary motions: (1) the horizontal displacements of the centre of gravity (CG) and (2) the vertical projection of the difference between centre of pressure and the centre of gravity (CP-CG). Results: The only statistically significative decrease of variance from the no strapping condition was with over skin strapping condition for the CP and CG on ML axe. No CP-CG variance was significally modified. Conclusion: The over skin strapping provide a lateral stabilization. The hypothesis of additional sensory information and mechanical restriction of the ankle could provide explanation.

Mots clés: Ankle; Postural Balance; Sprain; Physical Therapy; aping

Domaines: Rhumatologie et système ostéo-articulaire

Jacques Vaillant, Nelly Barthalais, Nicolas Vuillerme. Ankle strapping and postural control : Effect of underwrap. Science & Sports, 2008, 23, pp.78-82. ⟨10.1016/j.scispo.2008.01.002⟩. ⟨hal-00391416⟩