The advantages and makes use of of Kinesio tape in rehabilitation and athletic settings

Varied makes use of of Kinesio tape

The ‘stretch and elevate’

Kinesio tape can stretch to wherever between 100-180% of its authentic size. That’s what actually units it aside with regards to different tapes in sports activities and rehabilitation. The stretch not solely permits it to contour to totally different physique components, nevertheless it creates a recoil of the pores and skin. This recoil acts to drag the pores and skin nearer from the tape’s origin web site to the place it ends.

With this, a small elevate or decompression of the pores and skin is created which relieves strain on the world the place the tape is utilized. This proposed elevate might enable the related muscle tissue, joints and tendons to have extra room for smoother contraction and stretch.

Decompression and ache

The proposed decompression of the pores and skin can result in various constructive influences on it. Aid from strain is at the start. Inside our pores and skin and underlying tissues, now we have a large number of receptors together with these chargeable for ache. By relieving the strain in between the pores and skin layers, we modify or dampen the ache sign that goes from our pores and skin to our mind.

Together with this, the decompression permits fluids beneath the pores and skin like blood and lymphatic fluids (important within the restoration course of) to flow into extra freely with out as a lot interruption. 

Sensory enter and efficiency

The elevate of the pores and skin can change what data will get to the mind, together with ache enter as acknowledged beforehand. This variation can doubtlessly assist in lowering the emotions of tightness in muscle tissue or ache from related set off factors in muscle tissue. Together with these, some athletes believe having the tape on their pores and skin acts as safety – realizing the tape is current on an injured space might enable some athletes to really feel extra assured of their talents to beat the harm.

Amongst some practitioners and rehabilitation professionals, there’s a perception that Kinesio tape may also present an precise enchancment in efficiency. This will likely happen from the Kinesio tape offering help together with slight strain to unstable joints or painful muscle tissue. This sense of strain may help to facilitate muscle contraction as properly and make the athlete really feel stronger.

Though this can be felt from a subjective perspective, there’s a lack of proof primarily based analysis on Kinesio tape’s constructive impact on efficiency.

Assist 

The identical can be mentioned for supporting weaker areas of the physique. The tape supplies further help with a joint’s regular motion – this will assist to help fatigued areas and shield them from additional harm or compensatory patterns. 

It could additionally present help for tendons, which tackle the load from our our bodies and forces from the bottom. The patellar tendon is a standard supply of ache for athletes who run and soar, together with people who sit for extended durations of time.

Tape may be utilized to elevate and help the patella, and acts much like a patellar strap or brace.

One other widespread space for help taping is on the foot. 

With flat toes or decrease arches, the navicular bone, which is positioned on the within of the foot, sits decrease than it ought to secondary to the peak of the arch. A sling can be utilized to ‘elevate’ the navicular and subsequently elevate the arch. This provides help and safety to the foot.

Physique consciousness

Kinesio tape is utilized to supply suggestions for the place our physique and posture is located in house. That is by way of proprioceptive enter, which helps our our bodies perceive the place they’re positioned. Rehabilitation professionals will use the tape to cue a affected person or shopper 

to maintain them in a corrective place or posture. An instance of that is on the higher again and posterior shoulders – Kinesio tape is positioned in an X style from the highest of the shoulder towards the backbone in a downward route and crossed.

It will enable the tape to drag and create a sense of stretch when the affected person rolls right into a ahead head/rounded shoulders place. This acts to drag the affected person again to a scapular retracted and upright posture. 

One other instance is with decrease again ache. Kinesio tape is positioned on the muscle tissue of the lumbar backbone whereas the backbone is flexed so as to present suggestions for individuals who might hunch over of their chair or whereas standing.

Once more, the Kinesio tape is appearing as a reminder to remain extra upright and out of positions that may trigger ache with the stretch of the tape.

Swelling

Kinesio tape may be minimize and manipulated so as to promote a discount in swelling in numerous areas of the physique. The goal for the tape is an injured space that’s swollen and could also be discoloured. The tape is minimize in a crossover sample with strips that mimic lymphatic channels.

The thought right here is the tape supplies the elevate of the pores and skin which creates house in between the layers of pores and skin. This adjustments the strain gradient in these layers of pores and skin which reinforces the circulation inside the lymphatic system. These channels run by way of our connective tissue and permit our physique to cope with extra fluid.

This may be helpful with acute and continual harm in addition to recovering from strenuous train and coaching. 

Scar administration

Kinesio tape may be positioned on and round closed scars for a large number of causes akin to enhancing aesthetics, lowering ache and enhancing pliability of the scar. Scars which can be current after an harm or surgical process grow to be an interruption within the pores and skin’s layers which have an effect on how the tender tissue in and round it contracts and stretches. This may have an effect on your vary of movement of the related space, which may additionally impact your power.

Taping over and/or round a closed scar introduces a shearing or therapeutic massage impact to all of the layers of the scar. With this, we are able to additionally have an effect on the encompassing tissue and impact the general motion of the related extremity or area. The objective right here is to encourage correct alignment of the tissues affected in and across the scar. You will need to know you shouldn’t place tape over open wounds or immature scars which can be lower than six weeks post-injury. 

Nerve entrapment

Our nervous system has a singular relationship to our muscular system. For various causes, a nerve can grow to be irritated and/or compressed and affect the muscle tissue it provides sensory and motor operate to. This may trigger ache, weak spot and numbness, or tingling into the leg or arm relying on the nerve affected. The tape may be utilized alongside the size of the nerve, from its most proximal to distal level in a stretched place. By way of this, the pores and skin is lifted, permitting the nerve to glide and slide smoother in its monitor that it runs by way of.

In essence, this helps to lower the irritation permitting for improved operate. It could be tough to carry out this system with out the assistance of a rehabilitation skilled.