More than 25 years ago Dr. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese chiropractor who trained in the US developed Kinesio Tape and Kinesio Taping but it was highlighted on the world stage at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in techno colour on the shoulders of beach volleyball superstar and Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh's.
Designed to reduce pain and improve healing Kinesio Tape is applied to joints and muscles where support and stability are needed. It is a "non-restrictive" taping method that is also used for preventative maintenance, edema and pain management. The tape itself is an elastic woven tape that comes in a variety of widths, colors and types. It is cut into different shapes and applied with a slight stretch to stretched skin. It may look like conventional athletic tape but it is fundamentally different in that it has a specific elasticity that plays a role in its effectiveness. It is thin, like skin, and is applied by professionals trained specifically for the different applications. It is placed on top of the skin, strategically, often in "waves", and is effective for 3 to 5 days before it needs to be replaced. It is waterproof so you can shower or swim with it and it doesn't contain latex, which is great for those with latex allergies.
When properly applied, you don't even know the tape is there. Applied directly to the skin the tape is placed on slightly stretched skin from one end of the muscle to the other, with varying amounts of stretch to the tape. For muscle support, the tape is applied from the muscle origin to the muscle insertion or close to far. For rehabilitation or muscular inhibition, it goes on just the opposite; far to near. The taping technique is based on the body's own natural healing process. Rather than "strapping down" the muscle, the philosophy is to give free range of motion and allow the body's own muscular system to heal itself. Application of Kinesio Tape encourages muscles to function as they would if they didn't need the tape, which improves not only body movement but circulation of venous and lymph flows, body temperature, etc. Psychologically if your sore muscles are supported and allowed to heal, you are not in as much pain and you relax. Your performance improves along with faster healing.
While Kinesio Tape is applied by a qualified practitioner KT Tape is a new consumer product that comes in smaller pre-cut, pre-perforated rolls of colourful tape that can be applied using the easy to view videos on the company website at
www.kttape.com. With over 45 pain site applications you are sure to find taping instructions to fix what ails you. If you can?t, they have an ?Ask the Expert? option for you to email your specific injury to and receive a custom taping application.
Locally you can contact Physio One Sports Injury Clinic and Quinte Athletic Therapy Services in Belleville for certified taping practitioners and Tri & Run Sports in Trenton to purchase KT Tape.
