Kinesio Taping – What is it and can it help you?

In recent years, we have been introduced to the use of what appears to be colorful, abstract art applied to various body parts of professional athletes. We can see this in Olympic volleyball players during games, NFL draft candidates during the combine, NBA players in the US, to name a few very visible examples. The tape is known as Kinesio Tape and the art of the application is called Kinesio Taping®, also known as “KT Taping”. Information provided by kinesiotaping.com and Dr. Kases’s Facebook share that Dr. Kenzo Kase, a US-educated chiropractor, developed this technique while in Japan. The driving force behind their effort was driven by their findings that more traditional methods, such as the bandage and athletic bandage, provided support but also restricted or reduced range of motion. He also found that traditional tape and straps did not support the fascia and, in some cases, inhibited the healing process. He felt a new method was needed with the intention of facilitating the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting range of motion, as well as promoting the long-lasting benefits of manual therapy. His adventure to achieve his goals began in 1973. He then spent the next several years learning about muscle bandaging, tape elasticity, adhesiveness, and breathability. In the end, he successfully created Kinesio Taping® and his KTex®Tape quickly followed suit. Kinesio Taping®, of course, was not initially accepted in the US, but at the 1988 Seoul Olympics the benefits of KTape were seen and used. Soon after, the UK followed and recognized the benefits in its Olympic and athletic environment. Kinesio tape was not used in the US until 1995 and it was big news with the 2008 Olympics.

Kinesiotaping.com describes the Kinesio Taping® Method as a “rehabilitation technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s healing process while providing support and stability to the muscles and joints, without restricting the body’s range of motion and providing extended manipulation. of soft tissues to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting. ” The benefits of KTex® tape include that it is latex free and can be worn for several days at a time. It is also safe for populations ranging from pediatric to geriatric, and when used correctly, it successfully treats a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, and neurological conditions. KTape does this by targeting different receptors within the somatosensory system, allowing the application of the tape to relieve pain.

I recently had the pleasure of using the KTape applications, in conjunction with the rehabilitation exercises, to help a patient gain a significant increase in sensory perception, range of motion, and function after a case of induced wrist drop. from acute trauma. The response from the clinical application was astonishing. After six weeks of traditional physical therapy, the patient continued to experience a severe deficit in range of motion, strength, and sensation. She came to me essentially with little or no improvement and with high hopes for something better than what they were telling her. Realizing that none of her therapies included post-treatment sensory information. My idea was to do range-of-motion therapy along with electrical stimulation to essentially “wake up” the radial nerve and use post-kinesio tape therapies to allow for constant sensory input. He hoped to create longevity of the therapy input, as with enough active input and additional passive input, this can allow the affected nerve to regain activity and function. After the first manual therapy, I applied kinesio tape along the wrist extensors, with a 25% stretch. This was to see if KTaping was a viable option. On her next visit, she explained for the first time since starting any treatment that she had felt “sensation” in her hand and forearm. I perceived this as a positive response and began an aggressive drive for therapy and rehabilitation.

Six weeks later, he presented his specialist with several strategic applications of KTape to promote proper wrist, finger, thumb, and forearm movement and feel. The improvement of the patient at that time was estimated at 60%. His doctor ordered six more weeks of therapy. After six weeks of aggressively reconstructing the neuromusculoskeletal communication aspects of her wrist, hand, and thumb, kinesio tape was used throughout the patient’s therapy. I used kinesio tape throughout the patient’s therapy as a means of providing constant neuromuscular feedback with the intention of reinforcing the therapy.

I am pleased to say that this patient I share about has seen her specialist again and has been rated at 95% capacity with long-term residuals of slightly diminished sensation and the very likely occasional flare-up of accommodative muscles and joints with increased use. Of course, KTape will be ready for that.

Seeing and using the Kinesio Taping technique firsthand is phenomenal. Kinesio Taping® has certainly come a long way since it started as a glow in the brain of Dr. Kase in 1973. It also appears to have a bright future in the clinical setting.

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