Objective: To investigate the effects of elastic therapeutic tape when applied overlaying the lumbar extensors on different measures of muscle performance, compared to a placebo taping technique and a no-tape control.Relevance: Elastic therapeutic tape is frequently used as an adjunct to enhance athletic performance amongst athletes. However, limited research exists supporting its application on isokinetic performance of the lumbar extensor muscles. Methods:A cross-sectional experimental study. 21 participants received three taping conditions in a randomised order: elastic therapeutic tape, a placebo tape and a notape control. Peak torque, the time taken to reach peak torque and peak velocity were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Analysis:Friedman's test and post-hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to determine the statistical differences between the three taping conditions. Level of significance was set at 0.05. Results:A statistically significant improvement in peak lumbar extensor torque was observed when comparing elastic therapeutic tape with the no-tape control (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant differences in time taken to reach peak torque and peak velocity (p > 0.05). Conclusions:Results demonstrate that the application of elastic therapeutic tape overlaying the primary lumbar extensors significantly improves the maximal lumbar extension peak torque in healthy, asymptomatic adults.3

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