The Evolution of Kinesiology Tape in Ontario, Canada

Kinesiology tape – more than pretty colours?

Despite its recently ostensible and technicolored appearance on the world stage, kinesiology tape has been in use for over 40 years. Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase is credited as its developer and it took 50,000 free rolls and gold medal beach volleyball athlete Kerri Walsh (2008 Olympic Games) before eyebrows were raised.

By stimulating large skin mechanoreceptors, kinesiology tape can downgrade painful stimuli from the nociceptors to decrease pain perception.

In many areas of medicine, the use of a modality by athletes and practitioners often pre-dates the scientific explanation of how it “works”. Kinesiology tape seems to be following in those footsteps. Tape companies claim it “reduces muscle soreness, improves function, decreases bruising, and decreases pain” amongst other benefits. So where does the rubber meet the road?

How is it used and how does it work? There are differing schools of thought on the methodology for applying kinesiology tape. Early and persistent reasoning suggested that origin-insertion, muscle innervation and muscle action taping best serves to support/stimulate external body areas. This “anatomical approach” probably makes the most intuitive sense to medical practitioners as it follows anatomical “rules of engagement.”

 Dr. Steven Capobianco, chiropractor and developer of the Fascial Movement Taping (FMT) method, argues kinesiotaping should be “based on the obvious yet largely overlooked concept of muscles acting as a chain… the body’s integration of movement via multi-muscle contractions as a means of connecting the brain to the body’s uninterrupted fascial web in order to enhance rehab and athletic performance via cutaneous (skin) stimulation. By taping movement rather than muscles, FMT has demonstrated greater improvement in both patient care and sport performance.” (Performance Taping Chain – Rotational Movement Disfunction)

Bruising with kinesiotape freshly applied.

Dr. Capobianco is not alone in this line of thinking. Leading fascia researcher, Robert Schleip, PhD, underscores movement and its role in pain and dysfunction. New research in addressing movement impairment, rather than joint and muscle pain, has initiated a fast growing movement model.

1. Post removal of kinesiotape.

Additional support for this model comes from Thomas Myers in his groundbreaking book, Anatomy Trains.2 He offers a template to assess, treat and manage body-wide motor dysfunction based on myofascial meridans, and movement impairment.

Application models aside, how is kinesiology tape theorized to work and what is the support?

Application of Baby Belt configuration for later pregnancy.

As with anything that touches our body’s biggest organ, kinesiology tape has a cutaneous mechanoreceptor effect that stimulates those receptors to enhance body kinesthesia, or movement awareness. By stimulating large skin mechanoreceptors, kinesiology tape can downgrade painful stimuli from the nociceptors to decrease pain perception.

Recent research indicates that kinesiology tape has a greater stimulatory effect on compromised tissue (due to injury and/or fatigue). Thedon, et al.3 conducted a study to evaluate body sway in individuals with and without tape. They found that the tape showed very little change in the uncompromised condition, but when the subjects were fatigued, the tape provided an added stimulatory effect to the skin helping to compensate for the loss of information fed to the brain from the muscles and joints. For the pain and performance community, this study provides insight into the ability of an “auxiliary” system, such as the skin, to augment treatment and training outcomes. Some of the “stickier and stretchier” kinesiology tape brands remain on the skin for up to five days thereby extending the stimulatory effect.

Fascial sling to offload abdominal strain by redistributing stress to upper scapula-thoracic area.

Visual evidence that “something” is happening occurs when kinesiology tape is used on bruising. The elastic pull on the epidermis/dermis layers creates an area of lower pressure to assist in fluid dynamics (acute/chronic edema4). The pre-tape and post-tape photos (please see below) are most compelling. Where the tape was applied directly to the skin, bruising dissipates more rapidly than areas without tape.

Outside the box A 2012 study 5 of 32 surgeons, showed a statistically significant reduction in neck and low back pain (using Oswestry Low Back Disability Index and Neck Disability Index) and functional performance (using neck and low back range of motion scores) with the use of kinesiotape during surgery. This may have far-reaching implications for other jobs/activities where sustained positions result in musculoskeletal pain.

A final and anecdotally successful use for kinesiology tape, also developed by Dr. Capobianco, is “power taping” during later pregnancy. An example is the “baby belt” application, which attempts to offload the abdominal strain by redistributing the stress to the upper scapula-thoracic area. The tape follows a fascial sling Thomas Myers calls the “spiral and superficial front lines.” He and other fascial pioneers suggest that skin stimulation enhances fascial proprioception and as the fascia encompasses the entire body in a “neuromyofascial web” a broader improvement in body posture results.

Clearly the use of kinesiology tape is popular (millions of users) and the applications are broad (from athletic injuries to edema). Specific evidence for efficacy is scant but growing, and plausible. There are currently no reported dangers associated with using this elastic cotton mesh bandage, and the only significant contraindication is on open wounds. Kinesiology tape breathes well and flexes like a second skin, unlike most braces that act more like abrasive exoskeletons. It withstands sweat and/or water and is by most comparisons a cost-effective treatment modality.

While science is unlikely to discover that kinesiology tape is the panacea for all aches and injuries, health-care practitioners should keep this tool in the chest due to its vast possibilities in treating patient complaints.

Visit www.RockTapeCanada.com for more information about kinesiology taping in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.

Other articles you will find interesting:

• The Most Common Questions About Kinesiology Taping
• Kinesiology Taping for Low Back Pain

Everything You Need to Know About Kinesiology Tape and Taping

Kinesiology tape, elastic therapeutic tape, sports tape ... different names for the same brightly colored tape that athletes in every sports seem to be donning like a piece equipment these days.

Kinesiology tape seemed to make its debut during the 2008 Olympics but in reality, it had been in use long before then ... 35 years to be more precise, when Dr. Keno Kaze designed the original version for use with his own patients.

Almost everyone is familiar with the standard white athletic tape that trainers use to bind a sprained ankle or immobilize a broken toe. Its purpose is clear as the tight cotton bandage all but casts that ankle into a particular posture.

But what about this crazy coloured and/or patterned tape cradling knees and shoulders? It doesn’t seem to immobilize anything because the tennis star can still fire a 100km/hr serve at her opponent and the pro cyclist can still bound up a steep incline – blue argyle tape moving like a piston on his knee.

Like many people I thought it was a fad... perhaps even a bit of a fashion statement to catch the media’s attention. It wasn’t until the urging of a colleague that I did some research and then began using it on my own patients.

To my delight, the larger medical community had already begun serious enquiry. And despite some initial unpolished technique on my part, my patients responded favorably…some very favorably!

The Story of Julie

Julie had been suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis for 2 years when she came to see me. After the examination, I did offer a treatment plan which included orthopaedic sandal for wearing around her home, a stretching program and foot orthoses. None of these were immediate solutions however so I opted to apply kinesiology tape as well.

Then like all busy practitioners, I forgot about Julie... until 2 days later when she called the office saying, ”What did Dr. Trotter do to me? That tape is magical! I was pain-free for the first time in months and I want her to do it again!”

Not all patients respond like Julie or even at all and that’s fine. Julie was the eye-opener I needed to not “throw the baby out with the bath water” as it were. Many practitioners are of the mindset that if a treatment doesn’t have dozens of research trials proving its worth, then it should be shelved. If the treatment were surgical or pharmaceutical, I would agree. In this case, the treatment is a strip of cotton mesh with 180% stretch and acrylic adhesive that allows it to stick during sports, showers, sweat – normal living!

Time has passed since my original introduction to kinesiology tape and the fact of the matter is that most therapists offer kinesiology tape as a treatment for a variety of issues.

Visit www.RockTapeCanada.com for more information about kinesiology taping in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.

Other articles you will find interesting

• The Evolution of Kinesiology Tape
• Kinesiology Taping An Ankle Sprain

11 Kinesiology Taping Mistakes in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

Ok…so you’re pumped about kinesiology taping. You pull the roll out of the box and unwrap the plastic covering. It looks cool and it feels nice.

You cut off a strip and go to town.

But wait…things go downhill…the backing is hard to rip and it sticks to your thumb…then it sticks to itself, then your finger again! Shoot…this IS sticky!

You finally get the vital bit on your thigh but there’s wrinkle. Darn! Pull it off and start again. But now it doesn’t stick as well the second time. Arg! Toss the strip and cut a new one!

I've been that person! And it’s ugly when it’s in front of a patient who expects you to make it look easy.

Let me save you from experimenting yourself. I wish I had these “tips and tricks from the trenches” before fumbling in front of an audience.

1. Cutting too much tape.

While not as problematic as too little, too much is wasteful. Don’t forget that there is some stretch as the tape is applied. Measure the area with the tape and cut the length about 1-2” shorter.

2. Cutting too little.

Again, not an insurmountable issue, because another piece can be added to the end but it’s best to use one continuous strip for areas less than 2’ in length.

3. Using the wrong width.

There are 1”, 2” (the most common) and 4” widths of kinesiology tape. Coverage needs to be just right. For example, a 400 lb strongman (pictured here) needing tape along the muscle of his spine requires 4” wide tape to do the best job. 2” would look like a marker line and 1” would be a waste of time!

In contrast, the 4” width would be inappropriate for the 85 lb ballerina so use good judgment.

4. Wrapping around a joint.

Get the vision of wrapping race horses out of your mind. Kinesiology taping is not “wrapping” for joint stability. Think of whole muscle lengths and include at least a portion of the muscle above and below.

5. Trying not to cover the “pits".

The arm pit, the elbow pit the knee pit. These are very sensitive, sweaty regions that are very mobile and are susceptible to irritation.

6. Don’t end tape on tape.

Kinesiology tape is designed to stick to skin and while it does stick to itself, it’s best to have it start and end of skin. If there is crisscrossing of tape in the middle of a sequence somewhere then fine.

7. Prepare the skin to be clean and dry.

Many creams have oils in their formulation breaks down the adhesive in the tape so using an alcohol pad on the area before application is a good idea.

8. Leaving the tape on too long.

5 days is a maximum, not a rule. If your skin feels itchy prior to 5 days, take it off! While the tape allows the skin to sweat and breath normally, not everyone can handle a second skin for more than a few days.

9. Not rounding the edges of each end of the strip.

Corners are easier to snag on cloths so minimize snags by rounding.

10. Do not stretch the tape much.

This is especially important on the first few applications. Lots of stretch does not equate to better result. Quite the contrary, it can result in skin shear, irritation and rash!

11. Wrinkles.

While not the end of the world, try to avoid wrinkles in the tape. The key is to not remove too much of the backing at once. There is no need for speed when doing kinesiology taping so pull the backing away from the tape in segments and apply at a steady pace.

Visit www.RockTapeCanada.com for more information about kinesiology tapes in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.

Other articles you will find interesting:

• The Evolution of Kinesiology Tape
• Kinesiology Taping An Ankle Sprain

Most Common Questions About Kinesiology Taping in Ancaster, Ontario CA

Why are all of the athletes wearing it? Does it help or is it just a fashion statement?

Most athletes don’t have time and energy to waste on anything that does not improve performance. In many areas of medicine, the use of a treatment by athletes, often pre-dates the scientific explanation of “how it works”. Kinesiology tape seems to be following in those footsteps. The research indicating when and how kinesiology should be used is scant but recent studies are offering better explanations.

Lance Armstrong was one of the first athletes to comment about his chiropractor’s use of kinesiology tape in his book, It’s Not About the Bike” in 2000:

“We swore by Jeff’s pink tape. He would tape the hell out of anything. You had a tweaky knee? He taped it. A guy would start to get tendinitis and he’d say, “Don’t worry. No problem. We’ll tape it.” We all had pink tape on our legs.”

Does Lance strike anyone as the kinda guy who would wear pink tape for fashion?

How should kinesiology tape be applied?

There are differing schools of thought on how to apply kinesiology tape. Early and persistent reasoning suggested that it should be applied from one end of a muscle, along its whole length to where it ends (origin-insertion taping).

This “anatomical approach” probably makes the most intuitive sense to medical practitioners as it follows anatomical “rules of engagement”.

Dr. Steven Capobianco, chiropractor and developer of the Fascial Movement Taping (FMT) method argues, kinesiology taping should be “based on the obvious yet largely overlooked concept of muscles acting as a chain… the body’s integration of movement via multi-muscle contractions as a means of connecting the brain to the body’s uninterrupted fascial web in order to enhance rehab and athletic performance via cutaneous (skin) stimulation. By taping movement rather than muscles, FMT has demonstrated greater improvement in both patient care and sport performance. “

I live in this “tape movement, not muscles” camp simply because I find it works better for my patients. So my victims…I mean patients, end up with long spirals of tape that connect several muscles in a “movement chain”.

I hear this tape is great for swelling and bruising. Why?

Acute bruising is such a great application for kinesiology tape! And it was one of the first examples that really caught my attention!

How could anyone not notice the stark different in a 48-hour period where the tape lay versus where it did not?

This is the magic (well, not magic, but pretty close) of elastic pull on the outer skin layers creating an area of lower pressure to assist in fluid flow.

How long will it (should it) stay on my skin?

Some of the “stickier and stretchier” kinesiology tape brands remain on the skin for up to 5 days. It really should be taken off after 5 days!

Do I need to give the details of the fellow who left in on for 3 weeks? Let’s just say, “air fresheners” are a must-have item in any clinic!

Visit www.RockTapeCanada.com for more information about kinesiology tape in Ancaster, Ontario CA.

Other articles you will find interesting

• Fascial Movement Taping – Taping Movements, Not Muscles
• Kinesiology Taping for Low Back Pain
  
  

What You Need to Know About Kinesiology Taping in Ancaster, Ontario CA

What does "kinesiology tape" really mean?

“Kinesiology” is the study of muscular movement or the biomechanics of human motion.

“Tape” is a strip of flat material (cotton, metal, paper, plastic) with an adhesive backing for the purpose of sticking to something else.

So when we add the words together making “kinesiology tape” it doesn’t make literal sense but it refers to a tape that we stick on the human body, specifically to enhance the movement of muscles.

In many ways, I prefer the term “elastic therapeutic tape” because it a better descriptor for its properties but it should not be confused with “athletic tape” which is the inelastic white cotton bandage used by trainers to all but eliminate movement around a joint. This is the tape typically used on ankle sprains where the goal is to limit movement and compress the swollen tissues.

Many brands have capitalized on the general term, kinesiology tape by using an associated name, Kinesio-Tape™, KT Tape™, K-Tape™ but there are others like RockTape™ and SpiderTech™ that are different. All brands have similar features (albeit there are quality differences) and are intended for a similar use.

How does kinesiology taping work?

Anything that touches our body’s biggest organ, the skin, stimulates skin receptors which signals the brain to have a better sense of movement and position at that location.

Also, by stimulating large skin receptors, kinesiology taping can interfere with pain sensing cells, which decreases pain perception.

This is the same concept as “rubbing a sore spot”…it gives the pain sensing skin cells something else to report.

For a more graphic explanation of this concept go to, "what does kinesiology taping really do?

Recent research indicated that kinesiology tape has a greater effect when a person is injured or fatigued. The researchers evaluated body sway in individuals with and without tape. They found that the tape showed very little change in the rested condition, but when the subjects were fatigued, the tape provided an added stimulatory effect through the skin.

While science is unlikely to discover that kinesiology tape is the answer for all aches and injuries, medical practitioners are discovering the vast possibilities in treating patient complaints.

Can kinesiology taping be harmful?

There are currently no reported dangers associated with kinesiology tape. It is simply an elastic cotton mesh bandage.

Common sense comes into play. It is not recommended over open sores and there is a small percentage of the population that will develop a rash under the tape due to:

• allergy to the adhesive
• stretching the tape too much
• leaving it on the skin too long

Kinesiology tape breathes well and flexes like a second skin, unlike most braces that act more like an abrasive shell. It withstands sweat and/or water and is by most comparisons, inexpensive.

Who invented kinesiology tape?

Despite the ostensibly recent, techni-coloured appearance on the world stage, kinesiology tape has been in use for over 35 years. Japanese chiropractor, Kenzo Kase, is credited as it’s developer but it took 50,000 free rolls and gold medal beach volleyball athlete, Kerri Walsh (2008 Olympic Games) before eyebrows were raised.

Visit www.RockTapeCanada.com for more information about kinesiology tapes in Ancaster, Ontario CA

Other articles you will find interesting:

• Fascial Movement Taping – Taping Movements, Not Muscles
• Kinesiology Taping for Low Back Pain