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Paper text:
medial ankle sprains are 
 somewhat rare , accounting for approximately 1015% of all ankle sprains in athletes , and can 
 result in long - term disability3 .
most of 
 the pain and tenderness caused by a medial ankle sprain is localized to the medial aspect of 
 the ankle , especially around the deltoid ligament and the medial malleolus .
, we report the effects of ankle inversion taping ( ait ) using 
 kinesiology tape in a patient with a medial ankle sprain .
a 28-year - old amateur soccer player complained of severe pain on the medial aspect of his 
 left ankle after sustaining a grade 2 medial ankle sprain during a soccer match one month 
 prior to his visit .
he presented with a history of left ankle injury 3  years ago , following 
 which , his ankle was in a cast for 3 weeks .
he experienced painful eversion and dorsiflexion 
 of the left ankle and severe pain during sport - related activities such as jumping and 
 turning .
in particular , full weight bearing on the left leg was difficult because of severe 
 pain .
prior to participation in this study , the patient demonstrated an understanding of the 
 study purpose and provided written informed consent .
this protocol was in accordance with 
 the ethical standards of the declaration of helsinki . in the initial assessment , the tenderness on the medial aspect of the ankle , at a pressure 
 of 3  kg ,
was measured using an algometer ( pain test - model fpk ; wagner instruments , 
 greenwich , ct , usa ) on a 010 scale , with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the worst 
 pain5 .
the patient s self - reported functional ankle deficits using the cumberland ankle 
 instability tool ( cait ) questionnaire , which is comprised of 9 items scored on a 30-point 
 scale6 , were investigated .
dynamic balance was assessed using the star excursion balance test ( sebt)7 . the sebt is a valid and reliable tool for 
 dynamic postural control assessment of subjects with ankle instability8 .
the maximal reach distances of the opposite leg in the 
 anterior , posteromedial , and posterolateral directions when standing on the sprained leg 
 were 57  cm , 60.5  cm , and 65.5  cm , respectively .
ankle flexibility was assessed using weight - bearing ankle dorsiflexion ( the distance from 
 big toe to wall in maximal ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexion without lifting the heel ) 
 was assessed9 .
at the initial ankle active range of motion assessment , the eversion , inversion , 
 plantarflexion , and dorsiflexion ranges of the left ankle were 6/20 , 25/45 , 46/60 , and 
 14/30 , respectively .
seoul , korea ) was applied to the 
 sprained ankle every day for 2 months .
the first i - shaped tape was applied from the talus to 
 the calcaneus in a minimal dorsiflexion position for assisting posterior talar glide ( fig .
the second i - shaped tape was applied from 12  cm above the medial malleolus , over 
 the lateral calcaneus , to the outside of the instep of the foot in a maximal inversion 
 position for assisting ankle inversion and preventing painful eversion ( fig .
the third i - shaped tape was reapplied in a similar 
 manner as the second step for reinforcement ( fig .
the fourth i - shaped tape was reapplied in a similar manner as the first step to 
 reinforce the posterior talar glide ( fig .
we 
 reapplied ait to the sprained ankle every day after removal of the previously applied ait 
 even if the patient did not report any itching and instructed the patient to remove the tape 
 immediately if itching was experienced .
in addition , to prevent skin problems , no stretch 
 was applied to the start and end points of approximately 45  cm when the i - shaped tape was 
 applied10 . the patient did not undergo 
 any other interventions for treatment of the medial ankle sprain .
at the final assessment , the tenderness at 3  kg of pressure decreased from 8 to 1 , and the 
 cait score increased from 11/30 to 27/30 .
the maximal reach distances in the anterior , 
 posteromedial , and posterolateral directions increased from 57  cm to 72  cm , from 60.5  cm to 
 86  cm , and from 65.5  cm to 87  cm , respectively .
the maximal distance of weight - bearing ankle 
 dorsiflexion increased from 2.6  cm to 7.0  cm .
the eversion , inversion , dorsiflexion , and 
 plantarflexion range of motion increased from 6/20 to 20/20 , from 25/45 to 42/45 , 
 from 14/30 to 28/30 , and from 46/60 to 57/60 , respectively . following this 
 treatment ,
the patient did not experience any medial ankle pain during sport - related 
 activities such as jumping , turning , and was able to perform full weight - bearing on the left 
 leg .
this study showed that the ait application for 2 months decreased medial ankle pain and the 
 self - reported functional ankle deficits , and it improved the ankle range of motion and 
 dynamic balance .
the first treatment strategy with ait application is protection of the 
 sprained ankle from further injury and avoidance of eversion that can cause pain due to the 
 mechanical effects of inversion .
painful eversion and dorsiflexion of the sprained ankle 
 were avoided through a more inverted ankle with the application of the kinesiology tape . 

although no research on the ankle joint has been reported , previous studies have reported on 
 the application of kinesiology tape to support joint structure11 and modified joint structure such as mechanical 
 effect12 .
we assume that the recurrence 
 of ankle sprain and motions that cause medial ankle pain were avoided .
the kinesiology tape used in this case study stimulates cutaneous mechanoreceptors13 and improves the joint position sense14 .
the elasticity of the kinesiology tape 
 applied to the skin around the ankle may activate the proprioceptors , while the skin is 
 stretched and shortened during ankle movement . therefore , maintaining the correct ankle 
 position increased ankle stability , which resulted in an increase in the distances of the 
 sebt and weight - bearing ankle dorsiflexion .
future mechanical studies on ait using 
 kinesiology tape in patients with medial ankle sprain are needed .
[ purpose ] the purpose of this study was to report the effects of ankle inversion taping 
 using kinesiology tape in a patient with a medial ankle sprain . 
 [ subject ] a 28-year - old 
 amateur soccer player suffered a grade 2 medial ankle sprain during a match . 
 [ methods ] 
 ankle inversion taping was applied to the sprained ankle every day for 2 months . 
 [ results ] 
 his symptoms were reduced after ankle inversion taping application for 2 months . 
 the 
 self - reported function score , the reach distances in the star excursion balance test , and 
 the weight - bearing ankle dorsiflexion were increased . 
 [ conclusion ] this study showed that 
 ankle inversion taping using kinesiology tape may be an effective therapy for a patient 
 with a medial ankle sprain .