Immediate Effect of Quadriceps Kinesio Taping on the Anaerobic Muscle Power and Anaerobic Threshold of Healthy College Students

[Purpose] This study examined the effect of taping the quadriceps femoris muscles of healthy college students on anaerobic muscle power (AMP) and the anaerobic threshold (AT) to analyze the functional value of taping on athletic performance capacity. [Subjects] Thirty male healthy college students were enrolled in this study. [Methods] The study was performed from April to May 2010 (for a month). Kinesio tapes, 5 cm in width, were applied to quardriceps femoris muscles of participants. AMP and AT tests were conducted a sports science research laboratory. The paired t-test was conducted to examine the significance of differences between before and after taping. [Results] Mean power, peak power, mean power/kg, peak power/kg showed significant increases after taping. The induction time of AT, and, VE, VO2, HR, VO(2)max at AT showed no significant improvements after taping, but RPE showed a significant improvement. [Conclusion] Taping of the quadriceps femoris muscles of healthy college students affected AMP but not AT suggesting that taping influences athletic performance capacity.