Here at Joint Ventures, we are always looking for new techniques and treatments to help our patients heal faster. The last few weeks, we have been studying and practicing a technique called Kinesiotaping.
According to their website, http://www.kinesiotaping.com/index.php, the group that has developed these techniques states that:
Kinesio® Tex Tape has the ability to:
• Re-educate the neuromuscular system
• Reduce pain
• Enhance performance
• Prevent injury
• Promote good circulation and healing
This week, we practiced taping several different body parts. Luke taped my knee. The type of treatment he did looks like this:
The tape is supposed to help stabilize the patella (kneecap) and make it track more medially (towards the inner thigh
). In addition to these strips of tape, we used another technique that I don’t have a picture of. We placed a piece of tape on the inner part of my quadriceps, the VMO, in order to help it fire better. Many of our patients with pain around the patella tend to have weak VMO’s, so we wanted to see if this could help them. I wore the tape all day at work, and I can tell you, I could feel that the muscle was much more active that it normally would be. It was tired by the end of the day! After work, I went for a 30 minute bike ride of light to moderate intensity. The tape held up really well, despite getting a little damp with sweat.
Based on this limited study, I think that this technique may really benefit some of my patients, and I can’t wait to try it on them!
If you have any questions about Kinesiotaping, please email me at jessica@jointventurespt.com.