Investigation of kinesio taping effects on muscular mechanics with novel imaging analyses

Abstract

Kinesio Taping (KT) is an elastic therapeutic tape that is utilized for the pre vention and treatment of various neuromusculoskeletal disorders and sports injuries. Despite its widespread use especially improving muscular function, there is a lack of understanding of its effects on muscular mechanics. In vivo analyzes of muscle mechan ical response to external loads caused by KT is crucial to define its unknown action mechanism and to improve this kind of therapeutic approaches. Due to continuity of fascial system by muscular connective structures (epimysium, perimysium, and en domysium) and the interaction between muscle fibers and extra cellular matrix, loading effects imposed by KT are likely to be distributed to deep muscular fascia via force transmission. This thesis aims to address these effects by tensiomyography (TMG) and combination of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) based deformation and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) based fiber tracking analyzes. TMG analysis revealed that KT caused an increase in muscle tissue stiffness and a decrease in muscle rate of force de velopment. Results of MRI-based deformation and DTI-based fiber tracking indicated that KT-imposed external loads lead to along-fascicle shear strains and along-fascicle length changes in terms of lengthening and shortening and strain distribution were heterogeneous for all subjects. In summary, non-invasive in vivo analyzes were used to evaluate the effects of KT on muscular mechanics. Among these analyzes, the TMG method was used to measure the effects of KT on the mechanical properties of the muscle, while the MRI and DTI methods were used to measure the effects of KT on along-muscle fascicle shear strains and length changes.|Keywords : Kinesio Taping, Tensiomyography, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Myofascial Loads.