Adhesion of Three Brands of Elastic Therapeutic Tape

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare, over a period of 5 days, the rate of adhesion of TheraBand® Kinesiology Tape (TKT) with either KT Tape® (KT) or Kinesio® Tex Gold (KTEX) under 25% elongation among healthy adults. Methods: In this study, 2 independent cohorts of 20 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to simultaneously receive applications of 2 brands of deidentified elastic therapeutic tape (ETT) applied to their lower back at 25% elongation. Cohort 1 received TKT and KTEX tape, whereas cohort 2 received TKT and KT. Data were collected at 1 h (D1), 3 days (D3), and 5 days (D5) following the initial application of the ETT. Data collected included 3 digital photographs of the subjects’ lower back. The percentage of the tape that remained adhered (0%–100%) was assessed independently by 3 evaluators and then averaged to arrive at a percentage of tape adhesion for each brand of tape at each data collection point. Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA of cohort 1 indicated no differences (P \u3e .05) in adhesion between the TKT and KTEX at any data collection point, although post hoc analysis of the significant time effect indicated that the rate of adhesion of the KTEX brand declined from D1 (97%) to D3 (74%) to D5 (59%), whereas that of the TKT tape did not change over the duration of the study (97%, D1; 86%, D2; 70%, D3). In cohort 2, the analysis indicated a significant interaction effect with the KT brand (99%, D1; 67%, D2; 35%), declining over the course of the study and exhibiting lower rate of adhesion than the TKT (99%, D1; 83%, D2; 76%, D3) brand at D3 and D5. The rate of adhesion of the TKT tape did not significantly decline in cohort 2. Conclusions: Clinicians can use evidence from this study when choosing different ETT brands

Effects of Exercise on EEG Activity and Standard Tools Used to Assess Concussion

A variety of cognitive assessment tools are used to determine the functional status of the brain before and after injury in athletes. Questionnaires, neuropsychological tests, and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures have been recently used to directly assess brain function on and near the playing field. However, exercise can affect cognitive performance and EEG measures of cortical activity. To date, little empirical evidence exists on the effects of acute exercise on these measures of neurological function. We therefore quantified athlete performance on a standardized battery of concussion assessment tools and EEG measurements immediately before and after acute exercise to simulate conditions of athletic competition. Heart rate and arterial oxygen levels were collected before and after the exercise challenge consisting of a 1-mile run. Together these data, from a gender-balanced cohort of collegiate athletes, demonstrated that moderate to hard levels of acute exercise improved performance on the King-Devick test (K-D test) and Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) component of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT3). Gender played an important role in these effects, and performance was most affected by exercise in female athletes. EEG activity in the theta band (4-8 Hz) was decreased during periods of quiet resting with eyes open or eyes closed. Additionally, exercise produced a slowing of the EEG during the K-D test and a shift to higher frequencies during the balance assessment of the SCAT3. Together, these data indicate that exercise alone can influence outcome measures of cognitive assessment tools used to assess brain function in athletes. Finally, care must be taken to acquire postinjury measurements during a comparable physiologic state to that in which baseline assessment data were measured, and further research is needed into the factors influencing outcome measures of these tests

Effects of Exercise on EEG Activity and Standard Tools Used to Assess Concussion

A variety of cognitive assessment tools are used to determine the functional status of the brain before and after injury in athletes. Questionnaires, neuropsychological tests, and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures have been recently used to directly assess brain function on and near the playing field. However, exercise can affect cognitive performance and EEG measures of cortical activity. To date, little empirical evidence exists on the effects of acute exercise on these measures of neurological function. We therefore quantified athlete performance on a standardized battery of concussion assessment tools and EEG measurements immediately before and after acute exercise to simulate conditions of athletic competition. Heart rate and arterial oxygen levels were collected before and after the exercise challenge consisting of a 1-mile run. Together these data, from a gender-balanced cohort of collegiate athletes, demonstrated that moderate to hard levels of acute exercise improved performance on the King-Devick test (K-D test) and Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) component of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT3). Gender played an important role in these effects, and performance was most affected by exercise in female athletes. EEG activity in the theta band (4–8 Hz) was decreased during periods of quiet resting with eyes open or eyes closed. Additionally, exercise produced a slowing of the EEG during the K-D test and a shift to higher frequencies during the balance assessment of the SCAT3. Together, these data indicate that exercise alone can influence outcome measures of cognitive assessment tools used to assess brain function in athletes. Finally, care must be taken to acquire postinjury measurements during a comparable physiologic state to that in which baseline assessment data were measured, and further research is needed into the factors influencing outcome measures of these tests