When Kinesio Tape was first displayed on the scantily clad bodies of athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, very few people had any idea what it was. Some thought it was a new type of tattoo, while others thought it was a part of the team uniforms.
Over the next couple of years, k-tape became the hottest modality in the treatment of sports injuries for both high level athletes and weekend warriors. Since then, it has become firmly entrenched in mainstream medicine, and is now used in physical therapy clinics, lymphedema clinics, chiropractic offices and other medical practices.
Kinesio Tape aka “The Magical Tape”
Kinesio tape can be used to:
- Facilitate muscle activation or inhibit over active muscles depending on its application.
- Support and stabilize joints and the surrounding muscles.
- Improve biomechanics by correcting abnormal movement patterns due to muscle imbalances and or poor posture.
- Increase blood flow to the area
- Enhance lymphatic flow
- Reduce inflammation
All of the above qualities help to enhance recovery and reduce muscle fatigue while training. Kinesio Tape has properties that allow for a biomechanical lift of the skins surface which allows for increase blood and lymphatic flow within the tissue.
Kinesio Tape treats the following conditions:
- Strained muscles due to injury trauma and overuse
- Sprained joints due to injury or trauma
- Reduced bruising and swelling even in pregnancy
- Tendonitis
- Tennis and golfer’s elbow
- Achilles tendonitis
- Carpel tunnel
- Neck pain and back pain
- Poor posture
Use A Professional
I often times get asked by people who are surprised at their relief from the tape. By I have to inform them there is no medication or anything magical about the tape. People often times try to purchase and buy tape on their own and perform self applications. There are some taping techniques which you can do on your own, but people often times do not get relief the anticipated. This is due the fact he or she was not properly trained on the application process specific to various injuries no matter how many videos watched.
The videos tend to be generic applications that may not specifically address an individual’s needs. If a patient is looking to tape for a specific injury, they should seek professional advice for proper application. Educating my patients is something I hold high because I like them to take control of their own health. This is why I will always show a patient how to properly tape themselves if requested at no extra charge.