From biomechanical point of view, the human hand has many functions, but the most important action of hand is griping.
Grip was created as a result of the opposition of the thumb to the other fingers. Its importance is such that the other joints of the upper limb are at service of hand to determine its desired position .
Grip strength in certain sports such as rock climbing, tennis, squash, badminton, table tennis, wrestling, judo, weightlifting, riding, fencing, etc. is very important. Kinesio tape is an adhesive tape with elastic properties which placed on the skin surface and can be pulled between 20 to 40 percent of its length.
Researchers have suggested different effects for Kinesio tape including the protection of tissues, pain control, improving joint range of motion, increasing proprioceptive efficiency, improving muscle function by normalizing the muscular tension , facilitating the passive movement patterns, improve blood and lymph circulation and reduce swelling, improve performance through its support of weak muscles, and improving body kinematic and posture.
Since Kinesio tape has been increasingly used by professional athletes in our country and also due to discrepancies in the kinesio tape effect on increasing muscle strength, a study was designed to examine the impact of kinesio tape on the hand grip strength and endurance in professional squash athletes.
Inclusion criteria for the study included the following: Professional Squash Male & Female right hand dominant athletes , between 16-30 years with BMI ( Body Mass Index) in the range of 20 to 25and do not use weight training for upper limbs in the recent 2 weeks. History of systemic disorders and positive data for injuries of the upper limb are among the study exclusion criteria.
Intervention in this study is done by using three type kinesio tape in both the flexors and extensors areas of the forearm .
1-Kinesio tape with 50% stretch
2-Kinesio tape without stretch (placebo)
3-Without Kinesio tape
Before the intervention, papers are provided which are written the type of kinesio tape on them. The type of Kinesio tape applied on the forearm is randomly selected for each athlete based on the paper which is selected by him/her.
A hand dynamometer will be used to assess the main variables of the study, Grip Strength and Grip Endurance. It is worth noting that this study was conducted on a group of athletes.
The three different types of kinesio tape (listed above) will be used for each athlete and the grip strength and endurance will be measured at above mentioned intervals.