Low-Dye taping technique 

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... futsal and contribute to its spectacularity and popularity (Barbero-Alvarez et al. 2009). The nascence of muscle overloading in the osteoarticular system constitutes a characteristic movements sequence (e.g. outbursts, feints, running with ball, passing and shots), of the games played on hard surfaces, and depends on the individual predispositions of the player. During the match players engage multiple muscle groups that perform mostly a series of eccentric contractions, causing micro-injuries of muscle fibers (Andersen et al. 2006). Intense muscle performance causes muscle soreness, that may be evaluated on the basis of pressure pain threshold (PPT). Muscle soreness may be experienced randomly after the exertion. The individual may be exposed to it during the training session, as well as immediately after it because of the uncontrollable muscle spasms (Nosaka et al. 1991). All of the micro-injuries of the muscle lead to muscle swelling and muscle inflammation. It is manifested by the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), with symptoms such as increased pressure sensitivity (hyperalgesia), rest pain and changes in movement control within the muscle (Woods et al. 2004). Algometry is a method, which allows for the investigation of the muscle sensitivity during squeezing session – one of the main symptoms of DOMS (Jönhagen et al. 2009). Soreness, strains (including those of in lower extremity posterior line muscles) are one of the most common consequences of the muscle overloading in futsal players. Hamstrings muscle, popliteal muscle and gastrocnemius muscle (including the Achilles tendon) are the most susceptible to injuries. Tension disintegration in the muscles of the lower extremity posterior line may be directly linked to the discordant configuration of the foot insteps, abnormal distribution of the compressive force placed on the plantar foot surface, as well as the inflammation of the plantar fascia. The imbalance between the anterior and posterior muscle groups may be the consequence of those changes (Myers 1997). All of the harmful effects emerging from the dysfunctions located within the musculoskeletal system may pose a danger in enhancing the skill level of a given player. This constitutes a great challenge for coaches and physiotherapists in the planning of the trainings that are oriented not only towards the development of motor and technical skills, but also on reducing the risk of injuries (Kirkendall and Dvorak 2010). Futsal is a relatively new team game therefore, it is necessary to deepen the knowledge on the issues related to the prevention of injuries. Further studies will provide the trainers and physiotherapists with an access to a more profound understanding of the issue, which undoubtedly will be reflected in the sport results. Plantar fascial taping should be used in reducing the plantar fascia tension and arch support, thereby increase of pain sensitivity in muscle groups. In professional sport it is necessary in optimization of overloads. The use of nonelastic tapes on plantar foot surface has been assessed only in a number of studies (Radfort et al. 2006; Russo and Chipehase 2001; Vicenzino et al. 2007). Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the threshold of muscle pain sensitivity at the posterior line of the futsal player’s lower extremity muscles under the influence of the stimulation of the foot arch with a nonelastic tape application. 25 male futsal players (age 23.03 ±1.15 years, body height 179.30 ±3.56 cm, body weight 76.10 ±6.67 kg, BMI 23.40 ±2.76 kg/m 2 ) participated in the study. The players were university club AZS AWF Wroclaw members. Training experience of the whole group was on average 14 years. The shortest experience was 8, and the longest – 17 years of training. The players are the medallists of the Polish Academic Championships in futsal. None of the respondents within the past six weeks has suffered from an injury, none has complained of pain. All subjects were informed about the purpose and the research protocol assumptions. During the experiment, a nonelastic tape was applied on the plantar foot surface, basing on the standards of low-Dye taping. To perform this technique, a nonelastic cotton tape of 4 cm × 5 m was used. The application was carried out in a supine position w ith the lower extremity bent at an angle of 90° in the knee joint. The person applying the tape degreased plantar and dorsal surface of the foot, as well as the medial and lateral edge and, afterwards, the adhesive spray was applied. Tape application method consisted of 4 stages: 1) bonding the base at a height of 1st to 5th metatarsal head; 2) placing the tape on the medial and lateral edge (start and end of the application at the height of the base); 3) parallel and overlapping application of the tape towards the base (from the base to the calcaneus), and 4) re- application of the tape at the medial and lateral edge, as well as at the height of metatarsal heads (base) (Figure 1). The experiment protocol consisted of a 3-day cycle, during which the PPT was measured: 1) before application of the tape, 2), 24 hours and 3) 72 hours after application. PPTs markings were made within the posterior line of the lower extremity muscles. The overall research model assumes that the smaller the value of the PPT, the higher the muscle tenderness. Somedic Algometer type 2 was used to measure the PPTs. The diameter of the tip of the device used for the compression of specific points on the muscle was 10 mm and covered with 2 mm of rubber. The pressure on point and its rate was standardized (30 kPa/s). The value of the pain threshold equals the value of the pressure at which the examined person reported that the pressure exerted on a certain point causes pain (Kawczyński et al. 2013). PPT measurements were made on the posterior line of the lower extremity muscles in 13 reference points, ie. (Figure 2): semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscle (points 1–4); biceps femoris muscle (points 5-8); lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle (points 9, 11); medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle (points 10, 12); and soleus muscle (section 13). Points 1–8 belongs to the posterior thigh muscles (hamstrings muscle), while 9–13 to the posterior shin muscles (gastrocnemius) (Kawczyński et al. 2013). Analysis of the results was performed using the analysis of variance for repeated measures (RMANOVA) and post hoc Bonferroni’s test. Before the examination, two tests were conducted to verify the assumptions, namely 1) the normality of distribution – the Shapiro-Wilk test and 2) the homogeneity of variance – Levene’s test. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was also assessed in the study and it was R 2 = 0.912. Calculations were made using the Statistica 10 PL software. While assessing the differences, it was assumed that they were significant at p ≤ 0.001. Table 1 shows the complete results of PPT values for all muscle groups, belonging to the lower extremity muscles. Furthermore, the results include reference points of PPT measure (i.e.: 1–8 and 9–13) for futsal players. The average PPT for posterior thigh muscles in the right lower extremity has significantly changed after 24 and 72 h ours after the application (respectively 1135.85 ±41.63 kPa; α = 0.0001; 1462.10 ±56.13 kPa; α = 0.0002; p ≤ 0.001). However, in the initial trial the value was 954.94 ±31.63 kPa. In comparison with the study before tape application (924.87 ±48.53 kPa) (Figure 3), a significant increase of PPT was also found in the left lower extremity (respectively 1118.15 ±48.50 kPa; α = 0.0001; 1440.68 ±55.64 kPa, α = 0.0001; p ≤ 0.001) (Figure 3). The PPT value within right lower extremity posterior shin muscles has increased significantly after 24 and 72 hours after the application (respectively 1084.98 ±38.84 kPa; α = 0.0003; 1344.69 ±62.87 kPa; α = 0.0002; p ≤ 0.001), in comparison with the initial measure (902.31 ±42.68 kPa). While in left lower extremity muscles significant changes after 24 and 72 hours after the application were also observed (respectively 936.69 ±44.32 kPa; α = 0.001; 1151.97 ±47.08 kPa; α = 0.0001; p ≤ 0.001). In the first measurement the value equaled 876.30 ±37.46 kPa (Figure 4). The analysis of the most popular databases of scientific journals proved a limited number of publications relating to futsal. As one of the varieties of football, it is characterized by many interesting aspects, including biomechanical model of postural control, different ergonomics of the game, as well as brand new sets of the factors posing a risk for injuries. Therefore, an attempt to analyse the factors posing a risk for injuries and to verify one of the methods preventing the posterior line of lower extremity muscles has been made. Epidemiological data relevant to the frequency and the types of the injuries experienced by the futsal players is scarce. This fact can be directly linked to the low popularity of this discipline, as opposed to football (Baroni et al. 2008). A study conducted by Ribeiro et al. (2003), as well as Ribeiro and Pena Costa Ribeiro (2006) proves, that the lower extremities are the segments of the human body, that are the most vulnerable to injuries (constituting about 70% at whole). The main cause of the injuries of the lower extremity muscles is linked to the reduced mobility (Lentell et al. 1995), muscle flexibility (mainly hamstrings muscle) and the imbalance occurring between the agonistic and antagonistic muscle groups (Knapik et al. 2001; Nasiri and Salehian 2011). A series of functional changes may be observed in the b odies of futsal players. The impact, that abnormal forces have on the foot, peripheral joins and the higher segments is the main reason behind the occurrence of those functional changes (Ribeiro et al. 2003). The main factor that encourages the emergence of those changes, is the ground, on which the training sessions and matches take place. The most common surface is of ...