Multicoloured strips scattered in patterns across shoulders, knees, backs or even faces are something you may have seen not only on athletes — volleyball players, track-and-field athletes, tennis players — but on perfectly ordinary people too. This is kinesiology tape, a therapeutic tape used to improve mobility, to give support to joints and ligaments and to reduce pain and swelling. Lately, tapes have found a use in cosmetology as well.
Why tape in particular?
All sorts of devices that fix joints, take the load off them or reduce pain have long existed and been used in both sports medicine and rehabilitation medicine. These include every kind of plaster, bandage, corset and other orthopaedic product. They share one important drawback: while they provide support and protection, they restrict movement!
It was this problem that the Japanese chiropractor Dr Kenzo Kase solved when he developed his original product, Kinesio Tex Tape or simply Kinesio Tape
Today the market already holds more than 50 brands of quality kinesiology tapes, or, as people now say, tapes.
In this piece I will tell you what I know about the use of tapes in physiotherapy, rehabilitation and sports medicine, about their advantages and about the ways they can be applied.
How does kinesiology tape work?
Elasticity is the main advantage of kinesiology tape.
The original Kinesio tape was created from a proprietary blend of cotton and nylon. The blend was chosen precisely so as to imitate the elasticity of the skin, so that the full range of movement stays available. On top of that, the tape's hypoallergenic adhesive is waterproof and quite strong. Tapes can be worn for three to five days. They do not have to be reapplied every time you play sport or take a shower.
When the tape is laid over a particular area of the body, it gently lifts the skin and creates a small space between the skin itself and the tissues underneath.
An important plus, especially when working with joints and the spine, is the ability of the tape to create space between the joint surfaces.
You can read one of the research reports on this question here
Effects of 3 Different Elastic Therapeutic Taping Methods on the Subacromial Joint Space
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29191285/
Even a slight increase in space helps to reduce the likelihood of joint irritation and thereby to lessen or remove pain. There is a suggestion that the tape changes the information your sensory nervous system sends to the brain about pain.
“All your tissues — skin, connective tissue, fascia, muscles — contain sensory receptors that feel pain, temperature and touch. All these receptors contribute to your brain's proprioception (perception) of where your body is and what it is doing. Kinesiology tape takes the load off the tissues underneath. Decompression of these tissues changes the signals going to the brain. When the brain receives a different signal, it will also react differently.”
Dr Megan Scully, board-certified clinical specialist in sports physiotherapy.
Trigger points are a striking example. Using kinesiology tape, we literally lift the skin above that tense area. When the area is relieved of the excess pressure, the pain receptors send a new signal to the brain and the tension in the trigger point decreases.
For instance, pain in a trigger point decreased while mobility and endurance increased when kinesiology tape was used as part of the combined therapy of a pain syndrome.
Kinesiology tape improves circulation
If you have been injured and a bruise has formed, kinesiology tape will help to improve the blood supply and reduce the swelling in the affected area.
Kinesiology tape increases blood flow and lymph circulation in the skin and the subcutaneous tissue in any case, whatever technique is used to apply it.
Lymph is a watery fluid containing proteins, blood cells and other useful chemical substances. Through the lymphatic system your body controls, for example, the build-up of fluid in tissues and organs.
When kinesiology tape is applied, as you will remember, an additional subcutaneous space is created, and that changes the pressure level under the skin. It is this change of gradient that improves the flow of lymph.
For example, in two women the use of kinesiology tape reduced the build-up of fluid after breast cancer surgery. In people with osteoarthritis of the knee joint, a kinesiology tape application significantly reduced or removed the lymphoedema (swelling) in that area, compared with manual work alone — massage.
Some clients have told me that when they took the tape off bruised parts of the body, the areas under the tape were a different colour from the areas that had not been taped. Bruises under tape heal faster.
What are tapes used for?
Treating injuries
Tapes are most effective when used as part of a package, in combination with other treatments such as manual therapy and massage. Practice shows that taping is no better than other methods in the treatment of chronic muscle pain and diseases of the spine, but the effectiveness of rehabilitation rises considerably when kinesiology tape is added. I use kinesiology tape, among other things, to soften pain and reduce swelling. And I always use it only as an addition to the other health methods.
Support for weakened muscles
Kinesiology tape is used to give extra support to muscles or joints that need it. If you have trouble with the elbow joint or the Achilles tendon, or muscle pain after training, kinesiology tape may help you.
Unlike a plaster or sports tape, kinesiology tape will let you move normally. In fact, the tape will help to improve movement and endurance.
Kinesiology tape helps to train weakened muscles and to undo a faulty movement pattern.
For example, I always use kinesiology tape as part of the combined therapy when correcting posture, stabilising the position of the head and dealing with instability of the cervical spine. A special set of corrective exercises combined with taping shortens the overall rehabilitation time in these disorders. Tape has also found wide use in the recovery of patients after the consequences of strokes (pareses and paralyses)
Better performance
Some athletes use kinesiology tape to get the most out of themselves and to protect themselves from injury while competing. Working with them has confirmed more than once that using tape on tired muscles improved performance.
Scars and tightening
First and foremost, NEVER apply kinesiology tape to open wounds. It can be used on hypertrophic scars, keloids and scar contractures. The look of post-operative sutures really can improve, but this kind of recovery is something you must discuss with your treating doctor.
Does tape really help?
On the whole the answer is: “Yes”.
Although it has to be said that the absence of any significant difference in outcomes between using kinesiology tape and dropping tapes from the treatment altogether has also been noted more than once.
What I can say for certain is that kinesiology tape is most effective when used as part of a combined therapy and in combination with other treatments.
The best option is an individual approach in every particular case.
Tapes. Contraindications
Kinesiology tape must not be used in the following cases:
* Open wounds. Using the tape can lead to infection or further damage to the skin.
* Deep vein thrombosis. An increase in the flow of fluid can dislodge a blood clot, which can lead to a stroke, a heart attack and death.
* Cancer in the active phase. Increasing the blood supply to a cancerous tumour can lead to tumour growth and metastases.
* Removed lymph nodes. An increase of fluid where a node is missing can cause swelling.
* Cuts, paralysis, diabetes. If you have lost sensation in some area of the body, you may not notice a reaction to the tape.
* Allergy. If your skin is sensitive to adhesives, this can cause a strong reaction. Do a test first, and only use the tape in full if the reaction is negative.
* Skin prone to damage. Avoid putting tapes on areas with “fragile” skin.
Applying kinesiology tape
Consult a specialist who has been trained in the correct use of kinesiology tape before you stick it on yourself.
A physiotherapist will show you how to apply the tape, how it should be placed and which way of using it will help with your particular problem. The tape can be applied as an X, Y or I shape or in a fan pattern, depending on your aims and objectives. You may also need both stabilising and decompression strips. The skin must be clean and free of grease.
A specialist will supervise the application and the removal of the tape before you start using it on your own.
Take care and stay healthy!
If you still have questions, do not put it off — write to me right now!
