Kinesiotape – What is the big deal?

Kinesio tape (Photo credit: tö)

What is the colourful tape on all those olympian’s bodies? Could it help my injuries?

2012 Olympic games are over, the buzz of the colourful tape continues. If you have been watching the Olympics, you would have noticed the strips of coloured tape on many of the athletes bodies. What are they? They are called Kinesiotape.

Much like the typical white athletic tape, Kinesiotape helps people recover from injuries and also protect them from injuries or re-injuries. However, the typical white athletic tape tends to limit range of motion, while the kinesiotape allows much greater functional range of motion and protects the muscles and joints.

	Kinesiotape	Traditional white athletic tape
Ease of use	Easy to apply and take it off It sticks right on the skin Latex-free Moisture and air flow through it’s porous fabric Minimizes skin irritation and allows the tape to be worn continuously for three to four days also use in aquatic sports	Often requires a “pre-wrap” and use of chemical spray on the skin for the “pre-wrap” Should be taken off after a practice or game. Should not be left on overnight due to skin irritation.
Functional benefit	Allows greater range of motion while facilitating muscle function, thereby protecting the injured area.	Protects the injured area by limiting the range of motion
Application	can also be used on acute injuries with swelling in many cases can be used in rehabilitation setting can be stretched up to 140%	Generally not recommended on acute injuries with swelling. Not used for rehabilitation setting Does not stretch

I have been using kinesiotape tape on my patients for many years. I found it to be very useful for certain repetitive injuries such as tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, knee or shoulder injuries as well as wrist/thumb pain due to computer overuse. It is a great tool for patients as an adjunct treatment as well as a form of home therapy, like stretching and braces. In turn it allows faster recovery by minimizing the repetitive stress in the injured area in between visits.

Again, kinesiotape should be used in conjunction with actual therapy with your therapist or doctors. Not to be used alone if there is an existing injuries.

Dr. Lehman: Kinesio Tape (fox2now.com)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16541989

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