EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS

Effectiveness of Sports Medicine Fads: Kinesiotape, Power Balance Bands, and Phiten Technology Annise V. Nalepa Tarleton State University

EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS Introduction In todays athletic scene, athletes will do just about anything to get back into the game quicker, recover faster, and perform better. The marketing world clings onto this and advertises each new item as the hot item that will change your game. However, which of these sports medicine fads are a legitimate product, and

which fads are merely a placebo? The sports med fads of kinesiotape, power balance bracelets, and Phiten technology will be discussed in the following paper. Kinesiotape The first sports medicine fad discussed is kinesiotape. Dr. Kenzo Kase first founded this kinesiotape in 1979 (www.kinesiotaping.com). The popularity behind kinesiotape really exploded into the public eye during the 2008 Olympics. Keri Walsh, Olympic Volleyball player sported kinesiotape on her shoulder during most of the competition. The bright colors of the tape caught the eye of the public immediately. Kinesiotaping claims to facilitate the bodys natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the bodys range of motion. (www.kinesiotaping.com) With all the media attention on this kinesiotape, the actual effectiveness of the tape needs to be discussed. A common injury in athletics is the lateral ankle sprain. In typical sports medicine practice, taping or an ankle brace will be applied to help support the ankle in the recovery phase. Hendrick (2010) performed a study with 25 high school athletes with lateral grade 1 ankle sprains where he applied kinesiotape to half of the athletes and braced the other half with an ASO ankle brace. At weeks 0, 4, and 8

EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS Hendrick assessed the pain level, agility and strength tests of each subject and compared the data. After the completion of the analysis of the data, the researcher found that there were no apparent differences among tests with either the Kinesio

Tape or the ASO ankle brace (Hendrick, 2007). In this study, it is shown that the use of kinesiotape did not provide any extra benefit to competition or reduce the time to return to play. A second study by Baker, Laiderman, Paunicka, Simpson, and Weaver (2011) investigated the effect of tape application to facial planes on muscle contraction. This study compared Kinesio Taping to no tape and Elastikon taping by applying the tape on the forearm of the subject and then measuring grip strength. The theory behind the Kinesiotape in this research is that by allowing the fascia to move more freely and smoothly, the contractile unit of the muscle will be able to contract with more force. The study found that the application of the Kinesio Tape increased muscle contractility when compared to the Eliskikon tape group, but there was no statistical difference between the Kinesio Tape group and the no tape group. The researchers concluded that the Kinesio Tape lifts up the fascia to allow for better muscle contraction however the Elastikon caused a compressive force in the body, which caused a weaker muscle contraction (Baker et al., 2011). However, within each group, there was no significant difference between pre and post grip strength averages. A final look at the use of kinesiotape involves its claim to increase skin blood flow changes. Similar to the previous study, which investigated the application to

EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS

facial planes on muscle contraction, Miller, Klawon, Lininger, Cheatham, and Michael (2011) researched a similar concept of increasing blood flow by slightly lifting the skin to allow the blood to flow more easily. The application of tape in theory should provide the slight lift to the skin. The researchers had the subjects perform an exercise regimen with athletic tape or kinesiotape applied on his or her shoulder. Following the exercises, blood flow was documented and assessed, and no significant different was established between either taping conditions. After analyzing the given studies, the research shows that kinesiotape provides no significant support or healing benefits. These three research studies were set up very differently to examine three different components of kinesiotape, and all three experiments were unable to prove that kinesiotape had any sort of benefit over normal athletic tape or no tape at all. The placebo effect of the tape may be what makes it effective in the athletic population. Power Balance Bracelets Another sports medicine fad is the power balance bracelets that claim to increase performance, strength, flexibility and balance. The website for the company vaguely explains how the unique hologram on the bracelet is based on Eastern philosophies and their related energies or Chi. (www.powerbalance.com) Many professional athletes can be seen wearing these bracelets, but is there any truth to the companys claim? Two research articles were used to determine the effectiveness of power balance bands. The first, a research study out of Eastern Illinois University,

EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS performed a double blind study with 20 division one collegiate athletes. After testing the athletes with five sport specific activities the researcher found that the

Power Balance Bracelet did not provide any sort of statistical advantage over simply wearing a placebo bracelet (Reimnitz, 2012). Even though thirteen of the of the twenty subjects correctly chose which trial used the actual band, the statistical numbers did not show that the band helped increase the subjects performance. In a second study done by Verdan et al. (2012) the researchers examined the effect that the Power Balance bracelets had on static balance, hamstring flexibility, and arm strength in adults. This double blind, placebo, controlled within-subject study included 24 subjects. The conclusion of the study established that the bands did not have an effect on strength, flexibility, or balance (Verdan et al., 2012). Power Balance bracelets, similar to kinesiotape, do not have research supporting the founders claims. This fad, although talked about highly among athletes, is showing to be just that, a fad. The theory of the placebo gains strength when these products continue to dominate sales, however lack the scientific evidence to support their companies claims. Phiten Technology Phiten technology is the final fad discussed. The Phiten necklace is a popular accessory for majority of baseball athletes. The technology behind Phiten technology is metals that are broken down into microscopic particles dispersed in water (www.phitenusa.com). Through this technology, Phiten hopes to optimize the customers life and add energy and style to whatever youre doing

EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS (www.phitenusa.com). The site itself offers links where readers can read research on the product, however searching for research from outside sources proves to be more difficult. One company, The Society of Aqua Metal Research, only does the research provided however, and none of it is related to athletes, which is the companys target audience. The research also does not provide any case studies to show the effectiveness of the product in real life situations. Phiten technology appears to be well thought out, however, the lack of evidence supporting its claims makes it hard to determine if the product actually will give athletes any sort of performance enhancement. Conclusion The scientific research behind sports medicine fads shows inconclusive evidence on their effectiveness. All of the research studies sited in this paper found

each of the fads, kinesiotape, Power Balance bracelets, and Phiten technology, to not have made any significant difference in improving athletic performance. However, from the success of these products, it means that advertising and the placebo effect have a positive impact on the success of the products.

EFFECTIVENESS OF SPORTS MEDICINE FADS References

Baker, C., Laiderman, B., Paunicka, E., Simpson, R., & Weaver, R. (2011). The effect of tape application to facial planes on muscle contraction (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from GoogleScholar Hendrick, C. R. (2010). The Therapeutic Effects of Kinesio Tape On A Grade 1 Lateral Ankle Sprain (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from GoogleScholar. Kinesio USA. (2010). About Kinesio. Retrieved from http://www.kinesiotaping.com/global/corporation/about.html Miller, M. G., Klawon, R., Lininger, M., Cheatham, C., & Michael, T. (2011). A Preliminary Investigation into the Effect on Kinesio and Athletic Tape on Skin Blood Flow Changes [Abstract]. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27, S57A. Phiten USA. (2011). Technology. Retrieved from http://www.phitenusa.com/about/technology/ Power Balance Technologies Inc. (2013). Power Balance The Originator of Performance Technology. Retrieved from http://www.powerbalance.com/aboutus Reimnitz, R. L. (2012). The Effect of the Power Balance bracelet on Strength, Agility, Flexibility and Vertical Jump in Collegiate Male Athletes (Masters Thesis). Retrieved from GoogleScholar. Verdan, P. J., Marzilli, T. S., Bama, G. I., Roquemore, A. N., Fenter, B. A., Blujus B., & Gosselin, K. P. (2012). Effect of the Power Balance band on static balance, hamstring flexibility, and arm strength in adults [Abstract]. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2113-2118.