ankle injuries are common in sports - related and recreational activities1 , and 85% of these injuries are sprains2 . more than 40% of patients with ankle 
 sprains may experience swaying of the ankle without any structural limitations or ankle 
 instability3 , which may eventually 
 result in chronic ankle instability ( cai ) . individuals with cai have injury - related fear and 
 functional deficits when performing activities of sports and daily living4 , 5 . we report on the efficacy of ankle balance taping ( abt ) with kinesiology tape for the 
 recovery of ankle stability in a patient with cai . a 33-year - old man had chronic instability of the right ankle for 10  years after he 
 experienced right lateral ankle sprains . he reported ankle instability when ascending and 
 descending the stairs , jumping , turning , operating the pedals while driving , and lifting 
 heavy objects . the patient provided his written informed consent , and the study was 
 performed in accordance with the ethical principles of the declaration of helsinki . the cumberland ankle instability tool ( cait ) questionnaire , which has 9 items and a 
 30-point scale for measuring self - reported functional ankle deficits , was completed by the 
 patient . the cait is a valid and reliable tool that is indicative of perceived ankle 
 instability6 . scores of 27 indicate 
 functional ankle instability6 , and the 
 cait score for the right ankle in the present case was 10/30 . to assess static balance , we used the balance error scoring system ( bess ) , which is a 
 portable , objective , and inexpensive method for assessing static postural stability7 . it consists of performing a double - leg 
 stance with the hands placed on the iliac crest ; single - leg stance with the hands placed on 
 the iliac crest ( standing on the right leg ) ; and a tandem stance with the hands placed on 
 the iliac crest ( right foot placed behind the left foot ) , on firm and foam surfaces with the 
 eyes closed . errors in this system include opening the eyes ; lifting the hands off the iliac 
 crests ; failing to return to the starting position within 5  s ; stepping , stumbling , or 
 falling out of position ; moving the hip into > 30 of abduction ; and lifting the forefoot 
 or heel7 . a score of 1 is logged for each 
 error , and the total bess score for each position is 10 . the patient s error scores were as 
 follows : the double - leg stance on firm and foam surfaces , 0/10 and 0/10 ; single - leg stance 
 on firm and foam surfaces , 3/10 and 10/10 ; and tandem stance on firm and foam surfaces , 5/10 
 and 10/10 , respectively . dynamic balance was assessed using the star excursion balance test ( sebt ) , which is a quick 
 cost - effective method of assessing dynamic postural control . the maximum reach distances 
 were measured in three directions ( anterior , posteromedial , and posterolateral ) of the left 
 leg while the patient maintained a right - leg stance at the center of the three 
 directions8 . the reach distances of the 
 anterior , posteromedial , and posterolateral directions were 56.3  cm , 64.5  cm , and 63.5  cm , 
 respectively . in addition , the active range of motion of the ankle was measured using a universal 
 goniometer . initially , the range of motion for inversion , eversion , dorsiflexion , and 
 plantarflexion of the right ankle were 15/45 , 15/20 , 20/30 , and 60/60 , respectively . seoul , korea ) around the 
 ankle for 2 months ( average , 16  h / day ) for recovery of ankle stability . the abt method 
 consists of four steps , which involve stretching the kinesiology tape to approximately 
 3040% of the original length . first , to enhance posterior talar glide , the tape was applied 
 from the talus to the calcaneus in a slightly dorsiflexed position ( fig . second , to enhance ankle eversion , the tape was applied above the lateral malleolus 
 over the medial calcaneus to the inside of the instep in an everted position ( fig . third , to enhance ankle inversion , the tape 
 was applied above the medial malleolus over the lateral calcaneus to the outside of the 
 instep in an inverted position ( fig . fourth , 
 to further enhance ankle eversion , the third step was repeated ( fig . e ) . fifth , to further enhance the posterior talar glide , the 
 first step was repeated ( fig . to prevent any 
 interruption in therapy because of skin problems , care was taken to avoid stretching the end 
 and starting points of the tape at every stage of the application9 . abt was performed repeatedly , every day , after removal of 
 the previous tape even if there was no itching . after 2 months of taping , the error scores for the single - leg stance on firm and foam 
 surfaces decreased from 3/10 to 0/10 and from 10/10 to 3/10 , respectively . the error scores 
 for the tandem stance on firm and foam surfaces also decreased from 5/10 to 0/10 and from 
 10/10 to 0/10 , respectively . the reach distances of the anterior , posteromedial , and 
 posterolateral directions increased from 56.3  cm to 68  cm , from 64.5  cm to 90  cm , and from 
 63.5  cm to 88.5  cm , respectively . the range of motion for inversion , eversion , dorsiflexion , 
 and plantarflexion increased from 15/45 to 42/45 , from 15/20 to 20/20 , from 20/30 to 
 30/30 , and from 60/60 to 58/60 , respectively . the patient no longer experienced ankle instability when ascending and 
 descending the stairs , jumping , turning , operating the pedals while driving , and lifting 
 heavy objects . this case showed that the repeated application of kinesiology tape in abt over 2 months 
 increased the range of motion of the ankle . , the excitement of the mechanoreceptors induces the release of 
 encephalin , which inhibits the transmission of nociceptive signals11 . therefore , the increase in the threshold of pain 
 transmitted by receptors of the ankle joint due to abt may have increased the ankle range of 
 motion in the present case . in the early stages of ankle recovery , movement of the weakened joints is limited by the 
 lack of power to overcome the decreased elasticity of the tape , and the ankle joint is hence 
 supported . thus , the recurrence of ankle sprains during activities of sports and daily 
 living are prevented . moreover , kinesiology tape may improve the joint position sense12 and support the joint structure13 . the activation of proprioceptors as a result of the 
 application of kinesiology tape around the ankle joint12 increases the ankle joint position sense , which maintains the 
 neutral ankle position thus , the increased ankle stability increased the reach distances in 
 the sebt test , decreased the error scores in the bess test , and improved the cait score . 
 however , additional research on the clinical efficacy of abt using kinesiology tape 
 involving more patients with cai is required .
[ purpose ] to report the effects of ankle balance taping for a patient with chronic ankle 
 instability ( cai ) . 
 [ subject ] a 33-year - old man with a 10  year history of chronic ankle 
 stability . 
 [ methods ] abt with kinesiology tape was performed for 2 months ( average , 
 16  h / day ) around the right ankle . 
 [ results ] at the end of two months , no ankle instability 
 was noted when ascending and descending the stairs , jumping , turning , operating the pedals 
 while driving , and lifting heavy objects . 
 [ conclusion ] the repeated use of kinesiology 
 tape in ankle balance taping may be an effective treatment for recovering the ankle 
 stability of patients with chronic ankle instability .