Effects of spiral taping applied to the neck and ankle on the body balance index

[Purpose] This study was performed to investigate the changes in the body balance index when spiral taping is applied to the neck and ankle. The findings are expected to serve as evidence of the usefulness of taping the neck instead of the ankle when ankle taping is not feasible in clinical practice. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty healthy male students at A university were enrolled in this study. Balance measurements were made under three conditions: no intervention, ankle intervention and neck intervention. Static balance was measured with subjects' eyes open and closed, and dynamic balance was measured with subjects' eyes closed. [Results] There were significant differences in dynamic balance assessed by the Overall Balance Index (OBI), and the Anteroposterior Balance Index (ABI) with subjects' eyes open when ankle or neck taping was applied compared to no intervention. The static balance (OBI) of subjects with eyes open showed significant differences from the no intervention condition in both the ankle and neck intervention. The static balance (OBI) with subjects' eyes closed also showed significant differences in both the ankle and neck interventions compared to the no intervention condition. [Conclusion] Our results indicate that neck taping stimulates the somatic senses around the neck and increase proprioception, resulting in balance improvement similar to that elicited by ankle taping. Further studies with larger sample sizes various experimental conditions should be performed to more systematically and objectively elucidate the effects of neck taping.