With the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, the whole world watched elite athletes from all over the world. One question has come up again and again –
“What is that tape some athletes were wearing?”
Kinesiology Taping has proven a highly effective way to help treat both acute and chronic conditions. Our office uses different brands of kinesiology tape, including SpiderTech pre-cut kinesiology tape, Kinesio Tape, and KT Tape for a variety of applications. Kinesiology tape is not a rigid athletic tape like most people are familiar with. It actually mimics the thickness and elasticity of human skin, adding a layer of support to the affected area. Through various neurological and physiological pathways, taping applications can help to reduce swelling, reduce bruising, reduce pain, speed healing rates, and prevent further injury.
With slight variations in taping technique, kinesiology taping can accomplish all of the following:
- Provide structural support to joints and muscles without restricting a healthy range of motion.
- Correct improper muscle function by providing neurosensory feedback during movement.
- Relieve pain from both acute injuries and chronic pain conditions.
- Reduce swelling and inflammation through enhanced lymphatic drainage.
- Accelerate healing via improved blood flow to injured tissues.
- Prevent overuse and over contraction of working muscles.
- Accelerate recovery from intense exercise.
- Reestablish normal muscle activation following an injury.
- Increase muscle tone in injured or neurologically inhibited muscles.
- Delay fatigue and improve endurance through enhanced muscle ‘snap back.’
- Whiplash
- Low back strain
- Knee injury/pain
- Shoulder injury/pain
- Posture re-training
- Tennis elbow
- Achilles tendon pain
