The Short-Term Effect of Dynamic Tape versus the Low-Dye Taping Technique in Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Plantar fasciitis is a painful disorder that affects the plantar fascia of the foot, with a multifactorial aetiology. Dorsal flexion deficiency in the ankle is a risk factor for it. The provisional use of taping is described as part of conservative treatment. Dynamic Tape® is a type of tape that, adhered to muscles, allows for potential elastic energy to accumulate and dissipate later, optimizing its function. Therefore, it can offer immediate benefits while the patient awaits definitive treatment depending on the cause. Objective: To verify the effectiveness of Dynamic Tape® and the low-dye taping technique on pain intensity, ankle range of motion, and foot posture index. Method: A randomised, double-blind clinical trial was conducted. A total of 57 subjects from the Clinical Podiatry Area of the University of Seville (Spain), clinically diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, were randomized into two groups. For one week, in the gastrocnemius–Achilles–plantar system, one group was treated with Dynamic Tape® and another group with low-dye taping. Pain, degrees of movement of dorsal flexion, and the foot posture index were measured in both groups before the intervention and one week after the intervention. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to explore the differences between groups. Results: Significant differences in the decrease in pain intensity using Dynamic Tape® were found when comparing the treatments (p = 0.015) and the foot posture index was more normal in low-dye taping (p < 0.001). In both cases, the treatment showed similar behaviour with respect to the dorsal flexion ankle movement. Conclusion: The effectiveness of Dynamic Tape®, compared to that of the low-dye taping, has a major benefit with regard to pain intensity from fasciitis, although it does not produce changes in the ankle range of motion and foot posture index. Consequently, Dynamic Tape® can be considered a taping technique with beneficial effects on pain intensity in the provisional approach to plantar fasciitis.

The Influence of Dynamic Taping on Landing Biomechanics after Fatigue in Young Football Athletes: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Crossover Trial

“…Compared to Kinesio tape, dynamic taping is a relatively new technique with superior properties, including higher elasticity (dynamic tape: 200%; Kinesio tape: about 140%), multidirectional extensibility, absence of rigid endpoints, and stronger resistance and recoil [ 32 ]. Its application can produce a ‘boomerang effect,’ where potential elastic energy accumulated during concentric contraction is utilized as kinetic energy during the eccentric phase [ 48 ], making it a favorable option for correcting faulty landing biomechanics.…”

Comparison of the effectiveness of peloid therapy and kinesiotaping in patients with unilateral plantar fasciitis: A prospective, randomized controlled study

“…Based on the literature review, considering the primary outcome of VAS pain value in this study, it was determined that a minimum of 33 patients per group should be included with an effect size of 0.3, an alpha of 0.05, and a power of 0.90. [ 9 , 10 , 12 ]…”

“…[ 11 ] Kinesiotaping reduces pain in PF by reducing subtalar pronation, supporting the arches of the foot, and decreasing tension in the plantar fascia. [ 12 ] The short-term beneficial effects of KT in the treatment of PF were demonstrated in some studies. [ 13 - 15 ] However, there is insufficient evidence to show the efficacy of KT and peloid therapy for the treatment of PF.…”

Tratamiento para la fascitis plantar con calcetines biomecánicos. Resultados preliminares de un ensayo clínico aleatorio.

“…Esta modificación podría atribuirse al uso de los calcetines biomecánicos, puesto que este grupo es el que presenta las principales diferencias en el FFI, sobre todo en la escala de dolor (Tabla IV). Esta mejoría clínica podría ser comparable a la obtenida con otros dispositivos o vendaje como el Low Dye Type, que logra reducir de manera leve el dolor asociado a la fascitis plantar tras una semana de uso 18 . La ventaja principal radica en que la reducción experimentada por nuestros pacientes en un periodo de tiempo similar se consigue con el uso de indumentaria diaria, siendo un elemento accesible, ya que no presenta un elevado precio, no es necesario que sea colocado por un profesional, no es un dispositivo externo, es cómodo, no presenta incomodidad a la hora de llevarlo, ya que puede ser utilizado de manera intensiva (> 8 h día) y no pierde su efectividad con el uso.…”