Kinesiotaping has become a technique that is widely used in the health and sporting professions and has been growing in popularity. In 2007, over 51,000 practitioners purchased Kinesio Tex Tape in the United States, with over 150,000 worldwide. So what are Kinesiotaping and Kinesio Tex Tape all about?Through extensive research and clinical trials, Dr. Kenzo Kase created a technique called Kinesiotaping in 1973 in Japan and it gained international exposure during the Seoul Olympics of 1988. It was introduced to the United States in 1995. You may have seen many athletes wear the tape on various parts of their body, especially during the Beijing Olympics 2008, when Keri Walsh wore the tape on her shoulder during the women’s volleyball tournament. David Beckham has worn it on the side of his back during a soccer match, and the US Postal Service cycling team wore it during the Tour de France in order to protect their injuries and keep them at peak level of efficiency.
Kinesiotape is a time tested, therapeutic taping method that can be used for many different diagnoses of the musculoskeletal system. The purpose and design of the tape is to facilitate the body’s natural healing abilities, while providing support and stability to the surrounding tissues, without restricting the body’s range of motion. It is also designed to help prolong the effects of manual therapy that is administered during clinical sessions with physical therapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, or athletic trainers. Dr. Kase wanted his patients to utilize a “prescription” that they could take home and use between visits.
Kinesio Tex Tape is the specific tape that is used with Kinesiotaping and is unique to most athletic tape for it is latex free and can be worn for 3 to 5 days. The tape can get wet and continue to hold its properties. Dr. Kase designed the tape to have similar properties of the weight and thickness of human skin. The tape is safe for pediatric and geriatric populations. There is specific stretch property to the tape and it is important that a stretch is applied to the tape when placing it on the body. If the tape is over/under stretched, it may cause more harm to the tissues. A stretch of no tension to 100% can be applied to the tape, based on desired outcome. A certified Kinesiotape practitioner is trained in the stretch technique.
Kinesiotaping can be used during all phases of healing (acute, subacute, rehabilitation, and preventative). There are five major physiological effects of Kinesiotaping:
1. Skin
Kinesiotaping stimulates the mechanoreceptors of the skin, decreasing inflammation and pressure on the mechanical receptors, altering skin sensors in return, thus assisting with pain control.
2. Circulatory/Lymphatic Systems
Kinesiotaping lifts the skin and creates convolutions in the skin allowing fluid to move from high pressure areas to low pressure areas, decreasing pain. The application of the tape also increases interstitial lymphatic fluid flow, improves fluid exchange between tissue layers, decreases edema, and equalizes temperature of the tissues.
3. Fascia
When an injury is present, collagen thickens, acts like a glue and adheres the tissues. Kinesiotaping will helps the body return to homeostasis and allows for immediate influence of the position and distensibility of the skin, affecting the deepest layers of fascia.
4. Muscle
Kinesiotaping can be applied to relax or activate muscles. It can also improve range of motion, decrease pain, normalize length of muscles, assist in recovery from injury, and decrease fatigue in the muscle.
5. Joint
Kinesiotaping improves joint biomechanics and alignment, decreases protective muscle guarding and pain, supports ligaments and tendons, and enhances kinetic awareness.
As a Certified Kinesiotape Practitioner, I have found this to be an excellent adjunct to my physical therapy treatment sessions with my patients. To name a few, I have taped patients with acute and chronic ankle sprains, acute MCL sprains, and used it to inhibit the wrist extensors with injuries like lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). I have used the tape to assist with scar mobilization after surgery and assist patients to improve their posture. I have used it to help mechanically correct the kneecap position and prevent further injury in patients who have poor tracking of the patella, and also to re-educate the muscles controlling the tracking of the patella. My patients respond well to the Kinesiotaping technique and their recovery periods have been improved. They also comment on how they like the way it looks esthetically, especially with the different colors that Kinesio Tex Tape comes in. I do not solely use Kinesiotaping techniques on my patients, but I use it in conjunction with modalities, manual therapy, exercise, and education.
Please contact Jaime Herrmann, MPT, CSCS, CKTP jaime@jointventurespt.com if you would like more information about Kinesiotape.