by Kelly Horgan
How many of you may have seen strips of black, blue, tan or pink “tape” on professional
athletes or even members here at Phys-Ed? Well, that’s Kinesio or Rock Tape. What is
it? and What does it do,” you may be asking yourself. That’s what my article is all
about!
Kinesio-Tape offers soft tissue support and joint stability to affected areas of the body
without causing restrictions in range of motion. This ability further accentuates the
healing process by allowing increased circulation without pain. Humans need to move
at least a little to increase the healing process but if we are in pain we avoid those
actions. In addition, Kinesio-Tape extends the benefits of any type of manual therapy ie.
Massage, Chiropractic and Physical Therapy, so that the healing process can continue
days after your therapy session ends. Basically it’s like having a therapist’s hands
working on you constantly for an extra 3-5 days!
Kinesio-Tape works by gently lifting the skin on a microscopic level. This small “lift”
reduces or eliminates the pressure on receptors (nerve-endings) under your skin. Each
set of receptors has a different job to do in relaying information to your brain. Some
receptors are for pain, others are for temperature or even pressure on the skin. So
when we apply the Kinesio-Tape the “lift” tells the receptors that the pain is no longer
there. Also the “lifting” of the skin creates more space for increased circulation through
the lymphatic drainage system which helps to reduce swelling.
Ok. I know this is a lot of information. Basically think of your body as a highway system
covering the U.S. Any traffic jam would be considered an injury. Now we build a bridge
or an even larger highway (Kinesio or Rock tape) and Boom! The traffic jam is flowing
once again and everything works more efficiently. I know this is very simplistic but that
is how the Taping works.
There are many applications for Kinesio-Taping. I have used the taping for muscle
spasms and muscle tears. Also, I’ve used the tape to help with severe bruising and
swelling. Tendonitis and Plantar Fasciitis have responded positively within hours of a
taping application. People suffering from headaches that are non-hormone related have
seen profound results when using the tape. The other benefits of Kinesio-Taping are
that the tape is so skin-like that most people forget it is even on within a short time. Also
the application can be left on for up to 5 days and can get wet without having it fall off or
need to be changed.
Well those are the basics of Kinesio-Taping. I truly have seen great changes with
people’s injuries as well as experiencing the effects myself. If you have any questions
in general or wonder if this phenomenal adjunct to training and rehab would work for
you, please feel free to contact me here at Phys-Ed or Dr. Edward Geddis at
(860)355-8000.