Does ankle support orthosis and kinesio tape affect evertor muscles strength and their ability to control force signal in chronic ankle instability? A randomized controlled trial

Background Ankle musculature serves as active dynamic stabilizers, yet conventional assessment focusing solely on peak torque fails to capture critical aspects of neuromuscular control. The ability to generate accurate, steady forces is paramount for functional joint stability. External supports may modulate sensorimotor function, potentially improving force control.Objective To compare the effectiveness of bracing and taping on the quantity and quality of evertor muscle force.Methods Sixty participants (18–40 years old) with chronic ankle instability, were randomly allocated to 3 groups: ankle orthosis, kinesio tape, and a control group. Evertor muscle strength, force sense, force steadiness, and kinesiophobia were evaluated at the baseline and at the end of week 4.Results The group × time interaction effects were significant for concentric evertor strength at both angular velocities of 60°/s and 120°/s. While orthosis group and kinesio tape group demonstrated significant within-group changes, there was no difference between the two intervention groups (p = .771; dppc2 = −0.17 at angular velocity of 60°/s, and at angular velocity of 120 °/s p = .930; dppc2 = 0.35), between orthosis group and control group (p = .883; dppc2 = 0.76 at angular velocity 60°/s, and p = .800; dppc2 = 0.71 at angular velocity 120°/s), or between kinesio tape group and control group (p = .975; dppc2 = 1.08, and p = .959; dppc2 = 0.39 at 60°/s, and 120°/s respectively). The group × time interaction effect was also significant for kinesiophobia, but there was no significant difference between the two intervention groups, between orthosis group and control group, and between kinesio tape group and control group. The main effects of time were significant for all variables, except for force sense.Conclusion Both ankle orthosis and kinesio tape application for four weeks significantly improved evertor muscle strength and reduced kinesiophobia, with notable trends toward improved force steadiness. These findings support their use as effective interventions for enhancing ankle neuromuscular function and mitigating fear of movement.