Introduction
Discover the secret behind the colored strips of tape worn by top athletes: Kinesio Tape. Developed in the 1970s, this tool offers remarkable healing and injury prevention properties, earning acclaim in the sports community.
Key Takeaways
- Kinesio Tape, developed in the 1970s by Kenzo Kase, aids in the healing and prevention of sports injuries.
- It works by lifting the skin to improve lymphatic flow and changing nerve signals, enhancing muscle performance and joint alignment.
- Benefits include pain relief, reduced swelling, and dynamic muscle support, allowing for quicker return to sports.
- Application requires a specialist for optimal results, serving as a complement to physical therapy.
The Question and Answer for Featured Snippet
What is Kinesio Tape and Why Should Athletes Consider Using It?
Kinesio Tape is a therapeutic tool developed for the healing and prevention of sports injuries, offering benefits like pain relief, reduced swelling, and enhanced muscle performance. Athletes should consider using it as it supports the body’s natural healing process and allows for a quicker return to sports activities, with the application providing long-lasting benefits that complement physical therapy.
If you enjoy a little athletic sport as part of your wellness care program or, even if you are a more serious athlete, you might be wondering what the deal is, with the colored strips of tape being worn on track, field, court and pitch by the professional sportsmen and women who inspire you?
It’s called kinesio Tape and in actual fact it’s been around since Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase developed it back in the 1970s. Thanks to its remarkable properties for helping sports injuries to heal and preventing them from occurring, kinesio tape’s popularity has grown steadily and its advocates among the professional athletic community include some of the world’s premier sports personalities.
After reading the rest of this post, you will know what kinesio tape is, how it can be used and why you should consider taking advantage of it if you have any troublesome sports injuries or wish to avoid them.
What Exactly Does Kinesio Taping Mean?
Kinesio taping prolongs the beneficial effects of physical therapy for sports injuries. The science behind kinesio taping is not entirely clear, but it has numerous beneficial effects, both as a healing method and a preventative measure for athletes engaged in the rigors of their sport. The actual process of applying the tape is quite specialized and must be learned, so you would normally visit a specialist to have your kinesio tape applied.
Essentially the kinesio tape is applied to your body in such a way as to improve posture, correct movement patterns, move lymphatic fluid and improve muscle tone. Unlike traditional taping, kinesio tape can remain in place for long periods of time and does not need to be removed upon cessation of an athletic sport session. The kinesio tape itself is made from latex-free, hypoallergenic cotton fiber which is longitudinally elasticized. The weight and thickness of the tape is designed to replicate that of your outer layers of skin.
How Kinesio Tape Works:
The application of kinesio tape delivers benefits to the skin and to tissues deeper in your body. It also works on joint fascia and muscles to improve joint alignment. At the surface, kinesio tape lifts your upper skin layers to create space between muscles and the dermis. This space improves the flow and drainage of lymphatic fluids from a damaged muscle or joint. The tape also works on your nerve receptors, changing the transmission of signals to and from the brain to reduce reactive responses to sports injuries, thus enabling the body to work in a more normal manner. This in turn actually improves your body’s ability to heal from sport injuries more quickly.
At the deeper tissue level, kinesio tape improves muscle contractility, encouraging the flow of fluid through the muscle to improve its performance. When kinesio tape is applied to your body by a skilled practitioner, you benefit from an improved range of motion, better muscular contraction and a lessened tendency to muscle fatigue.
The Kinesio Taping Method:
The concepts of the kinesio taping method are known as corrections. There are six basic corrections, which comprise:
- Mechanical – Used for improving biomechanics and stability
- Fascial – To direct the way in which fascia move
- Space – To relieve pressure over targeted tissue
- Ligament or tendon – Used to decrease stress on damaged tendons and ligaments
- Functional – Designed to limit or assist a motion
- Lymphatic or circulatory – Used to move lymphatic fluid away from congested regions
The Benefits of Kinesio Tape:
The array of therapeutic benefits provided by kinesio tape is surprising. Moreover, since the tape can be left in place on your body for days rather than hours, the benefits are long lasting and aid greatly in the healing of sports injuries. The key benefits of kinesio tape include:
- Relief from the pain of injury
- A reduction in swelling, bruising and inflammation
- Relieves spasms and cramps in injured muscles
- Provides dynamic support for weakened or injured muscles
- Enhances muscle tone and strength
These combined benefits enable you to return to your favorite sport after an injury more quickly than would otherwise be advisable. For less severe sports injuries, it can in some cases be possible to continue with your chosen athletic sport, even while your injury heals. This of course is dependent on the advice of the physical therapist who administers your kinesio taping.
Kinesio Taping to Complement Physical Therapy:
Anyone who has ever suffered athletic preferred injury physicians can tell you that the path to recovery is sometimes a long one. However, by combining the amazing benefits of kinesio tape with the administrations of a skilled physical therapist, your down time can be reduced considerably.
OC Wellness has a team of highly experienced and talented physical therapists who can help you get back to your favorite sport with the minimum of delays. We offer a wide and varied range of therapies to ensure that you get a program tailored to your unique circumstances. If you are looking for help to return to your chosen sport after an injury, just book an appointment online or contact us by phone at 657-837-2608.
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