The effects of proprioceptive exercise and taping on proprioception in subjects with functional ankle instability: a review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of proprioceptive exercise rehabilitation and taping techniques on proprioceptive measures in chronic functional ankle instability (FAI).

DESIGN: Literature review.

DATA SOURCES: Keyword search of the AMED, CINAHL, Medline, PEDro and SPORTDiscus online databases from January 1985 to February 2007. Also reference lists of articles obtained were manually searched for relevant literature.

RESULTS: The search yielded nine studies that investigated the effects of proprioceptive exercise training on proprioceptive measures. Four studies investigated the effects of ankle taping on proprioceptive measures. The exercise literature was limited due to poor methodological quality. There is some agreement that muscle reaction time, kinaesthetic deficits and postural sway may improve with proprioceptive exercise; however, due to differences in study methodology and quality, no specific recommendations for practice can be made. Taping literature is also limited in terms of quantity and methodological quality. The effect on muscle reaction time, kinaesthesia, and postural sway rely on one study for each element, therefore conclusive recommendations for practice cannot be made.

CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of high-quality evidence investigating the effects of proprioceptive exercise and taping. Further high-quality clinical trials are needed to enhance the evidence base in order to help guide physiotherapists in selecting appropriate, effective strategies when managing FAI.