Assessment of the effects of kinesiotaping on selected elements of physical fitness in middle-aged, amateur tennis players
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TRENDS in Sport Sciences 2016;23(2)
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ABSTRACT
Introduction. Kinesiotaping (KT) is an increasingly popular procedure used in the rehabilitation and biological restitution of athletes. Aim of Study. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of kinesiotaping in assisting the training of amateur tennis players. Material and Methods. Study participants comprised 22 male amateur tennis players aged 40-60 years, taking part in a minimum of two training sessions per week. The participants were divided into two equal groups. Group 1 underwent muscle and ligament KT in the shoulder area. The tapes were applied four times, for seven days each time. Prior to each intervention, the movement range of the shoulder joint and the velocity and precision of the serve were measured (via the ITF test). The measurements were repeated after four weeks. Group 2 (control) underwent the same measurements but without the application of KT. Differences between the results of individual measurements were determined using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs test, and differences between the groups were determined using the Mann-Whitney U test, with a level of significance of p ≤ 0.05. Results. Group 1 showed a significant improvement in serve precision (p < 0.01). In Group 2, the results of both measurements were similar. Group 1 showed a higher serve speed both prior to and after the four-week intervention. The difference between the first and second measurements was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Group 1 also showed a significant improvement in the movement range of the shoulder joint, albeit only on their dominant side (with applied KT). Conclusions. The muscle and ligament application of KT may improve the velocity and precision of the serve in tennis. The use of the aforementioned method to assist in the training of tennis players seems justified.