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!
Other articles you will find interesting
No comments:
Post a Comment