You may have seen the colorful kinesiology tape on Olympic athletes, professional athletes, college athletes, or even dedicated high school players and weekend warriors. As a rehabilitative tool used in sports medicine, it’s natural to wonder about what kinesiology tape is, and why people use it.
What Is Kinesiology Tape?
Kinesiology tape is a therapeutic tape, specifically designed to stretch with the body but maintain rigidity to provide support. It is used to support muscles and joints, help reduce pain and speed recovery. It is often used by athletic trainers, athletes, chiropractors and physical therapists.
Some tapes do not stretch very much or only in one direction. Other tapes are very stretchy and do not hinder any range of motion. The application of the tape by a professional can also influence if the tape will stretch or not stretch.
What Does Kinesiology Tape Do?
There are many claimed benefits that kinesio taping offers. Some are supported by studies while research has not backed up other claims.
Kinesiology tape uses are:
- Reduce or relieve pain
- Increase blood flow
- Reduce swelling and bruising
- Decrease inflammation
- Other claims about muscle activation and improved balance or athletic performance are currently anecdotal
Kinesiology Taping At Back On Track Chiropractic + Acupuncture
Dr. Callan Martin DC, CCSP® is experienced with many styles of kinesiology tape from the original Kinesio Tape by Dr. Kenzo Kase who invented the method to the more contemporary brands like RockTape or KT Tape. Dr. Martin is formally trained with Kinesio Tape and RockTape to learn the proper applications of kinesiology taping. He is also trained in traditional taping methods you would see using white athletic tape to support a sprained joint or pulled muscle. Dr. Martin has taped countless ankles, feet, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands. Even a few hips and groins in his sideline experience.
We use the kinesiology tape primarily in our practice for pain control or to decrease swelling, it is one of our first-line applications for pinched nerves, sprains, strains or contusions. It also has applications in posture rehab (Rocktape FMT) and sometimes can be used to modify a patient’s movement to prevent excess or end range motion.
Our tape is Latex-free and rarely causes skin irritation. If you have a known allergy or sensitivity to adhesives, please let us know ahead of time. Best outcomes are achieved on a clean, dry surface. If there is excess body hair, the tape will not properly adhere. We will clean the surface here before applying tape but ask that you remove hair at-home before your visit.
If you are interested in seeing what kinesiology taping can do for you, don’t hesitate to call our office to schedule an appointment!