Abstract
Purpose: Sensory is important to decide our movements. Through these interaction, we can
perform the appropriate movement. This study, we focused on skin sensation among other sense,
and investigated the influence for the position sense of joint and reach movement by using elastic
tape. Methods: The subjects were 15 healthy females. Skin stimulation by using the elastic tape
applied to the central of upper arm. Participants were assessed under 5 different conditions which
were interchanged combinations of different sizes (small, big) and different directions to extend
(vertical and transverse), and no taping. The subjects performed the grading test which flex elbow
in 60 degrees and reach movement with eyes closed. Calculated the coefficient of variation and
errors of the grading test. Then, the final target and absolute values error and coefficient of
variation from the critical line during the reach movement. Results: There were no significant
difference between conditions in both the grading test and reaching movements. However,
coefficient of variation was smaller in applied tape condition compared with no tapping.
Conclusion: The possibility that movement repeatability improved by skin stimulation was shown.
From this, we suppose the sense information from skin is useful for process to control the
movement.
