Kinesio Taping for Easing Athlete’s Pain in Ontario CA

In the early part of the 1970s, Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase developed kinesio taping with the purpose of facilitating the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion. It successfully treated a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and medical conditions.

The method reached many countries worldwide over the years, and it began to be used by occupational and physical therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other health care experts as well. First used by acupuncturists and chiropractors in Japan, today kinesiology tapes are used by practitioners throughout the world to treat injuries and improve sports performance.

Unlike any standard taping applied to athletes which often involve wrapping a joint for support and compression, RockTape, a specially designed kinesiology tape is placed in position in a variety of patterns depending on the injury. It is positioned and pulled to differing degrees of tension to create the desired effect and is typically worn for two to five days, unlike the standard tape, which is used mainly during an activity.

RockTape can be used to pull back a shoulder that is hunching forward. To reduce swelling in a joint, the tape can be used to pull up the skin and create an area of low pressure where body fluid can move and drain. Trained clinicians apply the tape to provide stimulation to skin cells that affects pain pathways — similar to rubbing a spot that hurts. The tape can be applied along the length of a tired muscle for support.  It is like allowing the muscles to go on vacation for a day or two so they come back healed.

Although there are varying opinion on the medium-term and long-term effect of the method, both therapists and athletes say kinesio taping is not harmful, and over the short-term it have beneficial effects to alleviate an athlete’s pain without interfering with the range of motion.

Some trainers use RockTape for their athletes during breaks in matches to make them feel better immediately.

Recent studies on kinesiology tapes showed some short-term effect. A study of 42 patients with shoulder pain, which was published in 2008 in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, found that range of motion improved immediately after application of the kinesiology tape, compared with a sham taping using no tension; although the study found no significant difference in pain or overall disability scores. Another study on 41 patients with whiplash after car accidents found statistically significant pain relief and improvements in range of motion with kinesiology taping compared with a sham tape. The effects were seen immediately and continued a day later.

Even if RockTape kinesiology tapes can be used and applied personally by anyone, it is best to get the help of trained professionals to put the tapes on you in the appropriate patterns for maximum benefits and for it to stay in place for longer days.

For information about RockTape kinesio taping, visit www.RockTapeCanada.com.  If you need a Rock Doc or physiotherapy practitioners in Ontario CA, you can find them by clicking on the link.