the position of the body in relation to space is determined by visual , vestibular , and 
 somatosensory functions1 . the ability to 
 control postural control involves the control of body position in 
 space for the dual purposes of postural stability and postural orientation . balance is a 
 complex process involving the reception and interpretation of information about body 
 movement , integration of sensorimotor information , and execution of appropriate movement to 
 achieve the goal of upright postural control2 . a defect in each of these three aspects of data processing , i.e. , 
 sensory input ( somatosensory , vision , and vestibular ) , sensorimotor integration , and motor 
 output , can lead to imbalance1 . a 
 reduction in joint position sense can cause recurrent ankle sprains3 , knee ligaments sprain4 , and degenerative joint diseases5 . one of them is the 
 movement of body parts in relation to a supporting surface , and the other one is the 
 relative position of the body parts to each other . somatosensory inputs originate from 
 pressure receptors in the skin , deep tendon sensory receptors , and joint receptors 
 ( especially the foot and ankle)1 . the 
 postural control system should be regulated to ensure it functions properly , which is done 
 by the feedback and feed forward systems . sensory inputs in the sole of the foot send 
 information about the supporting surface . proprioceptors send the position of the limbs and 
 the relative position of head to the body , and at the same time , visual detection of 
 movement in space can signal the head position related to the horizon line7 . bout and gahery 
 stated that balance exercises improve neuromuscular relations and reduce proprioception 
 errors . they believe that those who have more proprioception difficulty may benefit more 
 from exercise therapy8 . . 
 showed that balance exercises improve balance in patients with ankle instability and normal 
 subjects . they related these findings to improvement of balance in the ankle joint and 
 improvement of general balance9 . . showed that proprioception deficit and anatomical instability are two factors 
 affecting functional stability . tropp et al . 
 showed that proprioception reduces after joint damage , so increasing a patient s joint 
 motion sense and dynamic stability are important for fast recovery11 . kinesio taping is being used to prevent 
 injuries and to help injuries to heal12 . it can also improve efficiency in sport , improve lymph and venous circulation , decrease 
 edema , stimulate the mechanoreceptors and increase awareness of a subject with regard to 
 ankle position , reduce pain , and improve muscle performance12 . taping improves dynamic stability by increasing sensory input , 
 decreasing the delay in postural reflexes , and increasing stability13 . it is an essential part of motor control and plays a very important role in joint 
 dynamics13 . the lateral ligaments and 
 joint capsule of the ankle joint are full of proprioceptors , and any malfunctioning of these 
 receptors reduces the joint kinesthesia . so decreasing input from these receptors to higher 
 control centers leads to improper muscle response and changes in joint movement 
 direction14 . taping has been shown to 
 be able to control the center of pressure sway speed and lead to better performance in 
 maintaining stability when a perturbation is applied15 . this capability is the result of increasing sensory input 
 caused by direct contact between the tape and skin17 . while other techniques like bracing do not increase sensory 
 feedback , a previous study showed that taping can improve joint position sense in a 
 non - weight - bearing position18 . reported that taping has a positive effect on the 
 position sense of the ankle joint20 . balance exercises and taping can both improve postural control by improving proprioception 
 inputs , but comparing the effects of these treatments to select the best strategy to manage 
 proprioception deficit is a challenge . this study evaluated dynamic stability , while many 
 other studies have measured static stability , and so their results can not be generalized to 
 dynamic stability . since many daily activities are link to dynamic stability , the study of 
 balance in these situations is of more importance . both taping and balance exercises have 
 effects on dynamic balance , so this study compared the effects of ankle taping and balance 
 exercise on postural stability indices in healthy women . thirty female students from 
 zahedan university of medical sciences participated in this study and were divided into two 
 groups . subjects were randomly divided into the two groups by lottery conducted by clinical 
 therapists . they just knew that we were comparing the effects of ankle taping and 
 balance exercise , both of which can improve balance . but the physiotherapist who assessed the subjects , 
 measured the outcome , and analyzed the data was blinded about the grouping . balance 
 exercises were performed for six weeks , three days a week , with each session lasting forty 
 minutes . data were recorded before and after finishing the protocol . in this study , thirty healthy female students were selected through simple non - probability 
 sampling method . before entering the study , they were tested for the health of the muscle 
 and ligaments around the ankle joint by anterior and posterior drawer tests and joint 
 glides . the inclusion criteria for this study were having no pain in the ankle joint ; not 
 being involved in any sports activity in the period of this study ; healthy sensory motor 
 function in the lower limbs ; no history of neuromuscular disease , vertigo or any uncorrected 
 visual problems , any kind of ankle injury or lower limb surgery , taking sedative medication , 
 cardiovascular , neurologic , or pulmonary disease , balance problems , rheumatoid disease , and 
 psychological disease ; and a body mass index of between 17 and 25 . exclusion criteria 
 included ankle pain , allergy to tape , and not completing all interventional sessions . those 
 subjects who were eligible to take part in the study signed an informed consent before 
 entering the study . this study was approved by the scientific and ethics committee of the 
 school of rehabilitation sciences of zahedan university of medical sciences , and the rights 
 of the subjects were respected throughout the study . in order to apply the inclusion and exclusion criteria , all cases were subjected to an 
 interview and assessment . the heights of the subjects were measured by a meter with 1  cm 
 accuracy , and a digital scale was used to measure the body weights of the subjects ( in order 
 to calculate bmi ) . it has 
 reliability and validity for measuring balance indices21 , 22 . the overall stability index ( osi ) , anteroposterior stability index ( apsi ) , and mediolateral 
 stability index ( mlsi ) were recorded with a biodex balance system ( sd 950 - 340 , biodex 
 medical systems , inc . , shirley , ny , usa ) . the biodex system has a circular deck with a 55  cm diameter located 20  cm above the floor 
 inside its body , which is able to tilt 20 degrees from the horizontal position to all sides . the overall stability index shows the variance in plate deviation from the horizontal plane . the anteroposterior and mediolateral indices show the deviation of the plate from the 
 horizontal position in the sagittal and frontal planes , respectively . the scores for the 
 indices show the level of deviation from the horizontal position , so the lower scores 
 indicate better balance22 . the right heel was 
 placed at the intersection of the lines from e and 9 . the left heel was placed on the 
 intersection of the lines from f and 12 . the difficulty level of the test in the double leg 
 standing position with the eyes open and closed was decreased from level 6 to level 3 . in 
 other words , the trial 
 began with level six and finished in level three . in the single leg standing positions with 
 the eyes closed and open , the difficulty level changed from eight to five gradually in 
 accordance with previous method22 . dynamic 
 postural stability test was performed in the double leg standing position with the eyes open 
 and closed and in the single leg standing position with the eyes open and closed on the 
 right and left legs . each test included three trials that lasted 20 seconds with a 10-second 
 interval between trials for rest . the first group performed balance exercise for six weeks , 3 times a week , with each session 
 lasting 40 minutes . each session started with several minutes of slow walking and 
 progressive stretching of the ankle , knee , and hip muscles , which was gradually increased in 
 time and repetition . the balance exercises started with static exercises in 
 the first week and progressed to dynamic exercises with the eyes closed and open plus 
 crossed movement of the upper extremities in the sixth week . there were 10 repetitions for 
 each exercise , and each exercise lasted 10 seconds . , we used elastic tape ( darco gmbh , raisting , germany ) with a width of 
 5  cm ( fig 1fig . ankle joint taping ) . in order to confirm that there would be no allergic reaction to the tape , a piece 
 of tape was applied to the skin of the calf for 24 hours . ankle joint taping was performed 
 for 6 weeks and was renewed three times a week . in a careful assessment , proper tension of 
 the tape , correct cutting , and direction of tape application were taken into account for all 
 subjects . taping was started 
 from gastrocnemius muscle bulk and progressed toward the achilles tendon ; after passing the 
 heel , it was cut into four divisions and attached to the dorsal aspect of the foot , the 
 metatarsal area . a second length of tape was attached to the lateral malleolus in the ankle 
 dorsiflexion position , passed over the lateral ligaments , passed under the foot to reach the 
 medial malleolus , and passed across the medial ligaments of the ankle15 . ten subjects were divided randomly 
 into two equal groups , and the main part of study was conducted on them . the means and sds 
 for the parameters from this pilot study , with = 0.05 and 90% power the assumption of a normal distribution 
 was assessed using the k - s test . the assumption of equality of variances was tested using 
 levene s test . the paired t - test and independent samples t - test were used for within- and 
 between - group comparisons . 2 . flow diagram of the progress through the phases of the randomized trial presents the recruitment strategy and experimental plan . the pilot study showed that 
 15 subjects would be needed for each group ( a total of 30 subjects ) . flow diagram of the progress through the phases of the randomized trial the mean weight and height of the subjects in the taping group were 53.803.23  kg and 
 161.134.10  cm , respectively . the mean weight and height of the subjects in the balance 
 exercise group were 52.876.41  kg and 161.205.63  cm , respectively . the means and sds of the osi , apsi , and mlsi for all testing positions were compared 
 between the two groups before and after treatment and are shown in table 1table 1 . means and standard deviations of overall , mediolateral , and anteroposterior 
 stability indices , and p - values for within and between - group comparisonsoutcomemeasurestaping group ( n=15)balance exercises group ( n=15)beforeafterbeforeafterosibeo1.40.341.40.571.40.451.10.34apbeo10.280.10.411.10.440.80.32mlbeo0.60.180.70.427.30.260.70.44osibec61.44.81.35.71.694.51.94apbec4.21.273.40.974.11.6131.21mlbec3.20.752.70.73.51.42.21.3osireo4.11.083.70.14.62.523.82.23apreo1.50.930.80.621.50.651.10.37mlreo3.71.53.51.394.32.533.61.83osirec6.71.845.91.536.41.595.31.77aprec4.31.673.41.283.50.842.60.85mlrec4.41.884.41.275.33.094.22.17osileo5.42.084.21.686.13.614.82.57apleo1.81.31.51.11.60.981.10.82mlleo4.52.593.51.765.73.594.42.5osilec7.61.726.71.567.72.226.43.01aplec4.30.13.71.043.91.013.11.19mllec5.72.54.71.836.84.035.73.39 values are means  sd . osibeo , overall stability index , bilateral standing , eyes open ; apbeo , anteroposterior 
 stability index , bilateral standing , eyes open ; mlbeo , mediolateral stability index , 
 bilateral standing , eyes open ; osibec , overall stability index , bilateral standing , 
 eyes closed ; apbec , anteroposterior stability index , bilateral standing , eyes closed ; 
 mlbec , mediolateral stability index , bilateral standing , eyes closed ; osireo , overall 
 stability index , right unilateral standing , eyes open ; apreo , anteroposterior 
 stability index , right unilateral standing , eyes open ; mlreo , mediolateral stability 
 index , right unilateral standing , eyes open ; osirec , overall stability index , right 
 unilateral standing , eyes closed ; aprec , anteroposterior stability index , right 
 unilateral standing , eyes closed ; mlrec , mediolateral stability index , right 
 unilateral standing , eyes closed ; osileo , overall stability index , left unilateral 
 standing , eyes open ; apleo , anteroposterior stability index , left unilateral standing , 
 eyes open ; mlleo , mediolateral stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes open ; 
 osilec , overall stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes closed ; aplec , 
 anteroposterior stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes closed ; mllec , 
 mediolateral stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes closed ..   values are means  sd . osibeo , overall stability index , bilateral standing , eyes open ; apbeo , anteroposterior 
 stability index , bilateral standing , eyes open ; mlbeo , mediolateral stability index , 
 bilateral standing , eyes open ; osibec , overall stability index , bilateral standing , 
 eyes closed ; apbec , anteroposterior stability index , bilateral standing , eyes closed ; 
 mlbec , mediolateral stability index , bilateral standing , eyes closed ; osireo , overall 
 stability index , right unilateral standing , eyes open ; apreo , anteroposterior 
 stability index , right unilateral standing , eyes open ; mlreo , mediolateral stability 
 index , right unilateral standing , eyes open ; osirec , overall stability index , right 
 unilateral standing , eyes closed ; aprec , anteroposterior stability index , right 
 unilateral standing , eyes closed ; mlrec , mediolateral stability index , right 
 unilateral standing , eyes closed ; osileo , overall stability index , left unilateral 
 standing , eyes open ; apleo , anteroposterior stability index , left unilateral standing , 
 eyes open ; mlleo , mediolateral stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes open ; 
 osilec , overall stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes closed ; aplec , 
 anteroposterior stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes closed ; mllec , 
 mediolateral stability index , left unilateral standing , eyes closed . in the taping group , the osi in the double leg stance with the eyes open and closed , apsi 
 in the double leg stance with the eyes closed , mlsi in the double leg stance with the eyes 
 closed , osi in the right leg stance with the eyes open , apsi in the single leg stance on the 
 right leg with the eyes closed , apsi in the single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes 
 open , osi in the single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes open , mlsi in the single 
 leg stance on the left leg with the eyes open , and osi in the standing position on the left 
 leg with the eyes closed showed significant decrease ( p<0.05 ) ( table 1 ) . in this group , osi in the double leg stance with the 
 eyes open , apsi in the double leg stance with the eyes open , mlsi in the double leg stance 
 with the eyes open , mlsi in the single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes open and 
 closed , apsi in the single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes open and closed , and 
 mlsi in the standing position on the left leg with the eyes closed showed not significant 
 decreases ( p>0.05 ) . in the balance exercise group , osi in the double leg stance with the eyes open and closed , 
 apsi in the double leg stance with the eyes closed , mlsi in the double leg stance with the 
 eyes closed , apsi in the single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes open , osi in the 
 single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes closed , apsi in the single leg stance on 
 the right leg with the eyes closed , mlsi in the single leg stance on the right leg with the 
 eyes closed , osi in the single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes open , apsi in the 
 single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes open , mlsi in the single leg stance on the 
 left leg with the eyes open , osi in the single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes 
 closed , apsi in the single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes closed , and apsi in the 
 single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes closed were significantly decreased 
 ( p<0.05 ) . in this group , mlsi in the double leg stance with the eyes open , osi in the 
 single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes open , and mlsi in the single leg stance on 
 the right leg with the eyes open were not decreased ( p>0.05 ) ( table 1 ) . to ensure that the randomization process had been done correctly , the pretesting data were 
 compared between the two groups , and no significant differences were found between the 
 recorded variables . so the groups were matched properly ( p>0.5 ) . there was no significant 
 difference between the two groups regarding any study variables ( p>0.5 ) ( table 1 ) . the findings of this study support the positive effects of balance exercise on postural 
 stability , and the results can also partially support the positive effects of taping on 
 postural stability . contrary to the second assumption of this study , there was no 
 significant difference between the two methods . the results of this study showed that 
 balance exercise has effects on a greater number of balance indices comparing to taping . both exercise and taping improved the apsi and mlsi in the double leg stance with the eyes 
 closed , apsi in the standing on the right leg with the eyes open , osi and api in the single 
 leg stance on the left leg with the eyes open , mlsi in the single leg stance on the left leg 
 with the eyes open , and osi in the single leg stance on the left leg with the eyes 
 closed . neither taping nor exercise had significant effects on mlsi in the double leg stance and 
 single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes open . unlike taping , the balance exercise 
 had positive effects on the osi and apsi in the double leg stance with the eyes open , mlsi 
 in the single leg stance on the right leg with the eyes closed , apsi in the single leg 
 stance on the left leg with the eyes open , and apsi and mlsi in the single leg stance on the 
 left leg with the eyes closed . the only index that had more changes with taping than 
 exercise was the osi in the single leg stance on the right leg . no change in postural control in the 
 frontal plane or mlsi was found after taping . among the 18 variables recorded in this group , 
 eight indices showed no change after taping , and four of these eight indices ( in other words , from six variables 
 recorded for the mlsi , four had not changed after taping . in spite of the significant 
 effects of balance exercise on balance indices , it should be 
 noted that in the taping group , four other stability indices showed no change after 
 treatment , three of which were sagittal plane indices ( apsi ) and one of which was the osi . 
 in the taping group , 18 stability indices were measured , and only 8 of them showed positive 
 changes after taping ; however , in the exercise group , 15 out of 18 indices were changed , 
 which represnts a considerable difference between the two groups . to be able to explain the 
 cause of these findings postural stability is the ability to keep the center of mass ( com ) in a limited spatial 
 zone , which is called the limit of stability . the limit of stability is the spatial zone 
 within which a person can maintain their balance without changing the base of support . these 
 limitations are not constant but are related to peripheral situations , biomechanics , and 
 personal activities . stability is related to a balance between forces that are working for 
 and against it7 . the postural control 
 system needs to integrate sensory information in order to estimate the spatial position of 
 the body to generate proper force and control the body position , so postural control 
 requires the complex interaction of the neural and musculoskeletal systems28 . the musculoskeletal parts of this system 
 are joint range of motion , spinal column flexibility , muscle properties , and biomechanical 
 relations of body parts . the neural parts of postural control consist of neuromuscular 
 synergies for motor trajectories and sensory systems like the visual , vestibular , and 
 somatosensory integration and sensory strategies , which regulate the sensory input , internal 
 representation , which is needed for sensory to motor mapping , and higher level of brain 
 activities for adaptive aspects and anticipatory mechanisms . adaptive postural control is 
 defined as changes in sensory and motor output in response to changes in the environment and 
 tasks . anticipatory aspects of postural control are based on previous experiences and 
 learning7 , 29 . there is a limited 
 zone for cop swing without falling or changing the limits . this area is 12 degrees in the 
 sagittal plane ( 8 degrees forward and 4 degrees backward ) and 16 degrees in the frontal 
 plane ( 8 degrees to each side ) in adults . there are three main involuntary postural 
 strategies : stepping strategy , hip strategy , and ankle strategy . these mechanisms are like involuntary 
 mechanisms , but their response happens before real instability . voluntary postural 
 adjustment is initiated by a person voluntarily and is controlled and performed by personal 
 experiences and learning in a state of awarness7 , 
 28 . for further assessment , we need to know more about involuntary postural responses and their 
 sensory and motor parts . the ankle strategy is usually used for controlling postural sway by 
 the ankle and foot . the head , trunk , hip , and legs move as a whole on an ankle pivot point 
 ( anteroposteriorly and laterally ) . the ankle strategy is used when sways are small in range , 
 slow in speed and near the midline30 . it 
 is usually used when a person is standing on a large stable surface . the hip strategy is used to control the posture 
 via the hip and trunk . in this strategy , the head and hips moves in different directions . this strategy is used when the sway is large and fast ( 1  hz ) and near the midway point of 
 the limit of stability area or when a person stands on a narrow unstable surface . in this 
 strategy , the muscle contraction pattern is from proximal to distal28 . for sway frequencies between 0.3 to 1  hz when the sway is too large and the cop falls outside the limit of stability zone , the step 
 strategy is used because a new stability zone is needed30 . when a person stands on a narrow surface , they shift from the ankle 
 strategy to a hip strategy ( in 5 to 15 trials ) , and when they return to a normal support 
 surface , they shift to an ankle strategy ( in 6 trials)31 . . sensory 
 components of postural control include visual , vestibular , and somatosensory inputs32 . the data from each are combined with other sensory information to produce a proper motor 
 response . deficits in the visual , vestibular , or somatosensory system can cause postural 
 control deficit6 . in spite of the 
 importance of visual inputs for postural control , they are not necessary33 . vestibular inputs play a role in 
 signaling perturbations in the transitional phase of postural stability32 . when the vestibular system is intact , the visual inputs 
 are not essential , but in bilateral vestibular dysfunctions , visual inputs are needed for 
 postural control33 . it is believed that the somatosensory role is not bold when the visual and vestibular 
 systems are intact1 . postural control 
 needs forces to control the body position in space . in order to know the proper timing of 
 force generation , the cns should have a detailed picture of the body in the space and its 
 movement1 . each of the sensory systems 
 prepares special information about body position and movement , so each sensory system acts 
 as a reference for postural control1 . what 
 kind of information sent to the postural control system by each of these sensory systems ? is 
 one of them more important than the others ? does the cns always use all these three sensory 
 inputs ? if not , how does the cns decide to use one of them ? somatosensory inputs are not available to determine 
 the perpendicular position of the body when the supporting system is not stable . the 
 vestibular system by itself can not produce a real picture of spatial orientation of the 
 body . postural control 
 demands are different in a static position compared with in the presence of a perturbation 
 or movement , which are dynamic positions . all three sensations participate in postural 
 control when a person is in a simple standing position . postural responses to horizontal 
 fluctuations in standing position are dependent on the somatosensory system in adults . the 
 important matter is the cns functional flexibility to use sensory information while the task 
 and environment factors change . previous research supports the theory of hierarchy weighting 
 of sensory information based on their relative accuracy in signaling the spatial position 
 and movement of the body . when a specific sensation can not give accurate information about 
 the body position and movement in a special situation , the weight of this sense reduces and 
 other accurate senses are given more weight . in normal situations , the cns gives more weight 
 to the somatosensory system versus the visual and vestibular systems1 . the other parameter that plays a role in choosing the 
 sensory information source is the balance strategy that is used . while the cns is using the 
 ankle strategy , the somatosensory source is the main sensory information , and when using the 
 hip strategy , the vestibular information is needed1 . with the knowledge mentioned above , we can interpret the results of this study . firstly , 
 taping has its greatest impact on the area to which it is applied . in addition , it affects 
 the tissues that are compressed or stretched by the tape , so the taping method in this study 
 would affect ankle somatosensory information of the ankle joint . in this study , the tape 
 covered posterior calf and medial and lateral ankle ligament , so it should have had an equal 
 effect on lateral and anteroposterior stability indices . but the results do not support this 
 theory . it seems that sensors of length and tension in muscles of the calf ( muscle spindles 
 and golgi tendon organs ) are the elements responsible for the greater influence of tape on 
 the anteroposterior stability indices . karig stated that the stretch and compression applied 
 to tissue by taping stimulate the skin mechanoreceptors and send information about movement 
 and position that improves proprioception . lehpart and raiman proposed that the information 
 from skin mechanoreceptor has an effect like joint receptors on proprioception32 . so the information sent to the cns 
 increases , and this leads to more accurate control of joint movement6 . regarding these theories , tape can improve postural control 
 by sending the skin sensory inputs to the cns . carleson and anderson measured the reaction 
 time of the peroneal muscle to evaluate the effect of taping on ankle stability . they proposed that it 
 could be the result of increased sensory inputs to the cns after application of tape33 . based on the results of the present 
 study , balance exercises have advantage over taping . balance exercises can improve balance 
 strategies other than the ankle strategy and can also strengthen and facilitate the involved 
 postural reflexes , so they can improve postural stability . somatosensory inputs from taping 
 can only improve the ankle strategy , while balance exercise in addition to ankle strategy 
 facilitates the hip strategy , which is vestibular dependent . on the other hand , balance 
 exercise requires motor control responses from the brain stem , so these exercises improve 
 motor control at all cns levels which is an important matter in balance and proprioception 
 rehabilitation . proper motor control requires spinal reflexes , postural reflexes , and 
 involuntary balance responses in the brain stem and voluntary responses from the cortical 
 level of the brain27 . we did not have a 
 control group , and this was a limitation of this study .
[ purpose ] the purpose of this study was to compare the effect of ankle taping and 
 balance exercises on postural stability indices in healthy women . 
 [ subjects and methods ] 
 thirty healthy female students were randomly assigned into two equal groups : ankle taping 
 and balance exercise . 
 the balance exercise group performed balance exercises for 6 weeks , 
 with 3 sessions per week and each session lasting 40 minutes . 
 ankle joint taping was 
 performed for 6 weeks and was renewed three times a week . before and after the 
 interventions 
 , overall , anteroposterior , and mediolateral stability indices were measured 
 with a biodex balance system in bilateral and unilateral stance positions with the eyes 
 open and closed . 
 [ results ] in the taping group during bilateral standing with the eyes 
 closed , the overall stability index changed from 61.4 to 4.81.3 , anteroposterior 
 stability index changed from 4.21.27 to 3.40.97 , and mediolateral stability index 
 changed from 3.20.75 to 2.7 0.7 . in the balance exercise group during bilateral standing 
 with the eyes closed , the overall stability index changed from 5.71.69 to 4.51.94 , 
 anteroposterior stability index changed from 4.11.61 to 31.21 , and mediolateral 
 stability index changed from 3.51.4 to 2.2 1.3 . 
 no significant difference was seen 
 between the two groups regarding any study variables . 
 [ conclusion ] the results showed that 
 compared with the taping technique , balance training increases postural stability in the 
 majority of the studied balance situations .