Sports, fitness, business and news magazines, as well as health-related websites, are all reporting the benefits of kinesiology tape for sports injuries. Publications such as Runner’s World, New Mexico Business Weekly, and UK-based Athletics Weekly, have all run articles on kinesiology tape, a sports tape that research shows differs from standard athletic tape in several key ways:
Unlike conventional athletic tape that restricts both movement and bloodflow, Kinesio Tape’s unique elastic properties allow unrestricted movement while enhancing circulation. Skin irritation, common with conventional sports tapes, seldom occurs with the latex-free, acrylic adhesive used in kinesiology tape. With approximately the same thickness as the epidermis, KinesioTape acts almost as a second skin, interacting with the body’s sensory receptors to reduce pain. Because it can be stretched between 55% and 60% of its resting length, kinesiology tape provides comfort, support, and other therapeutic benefits without restricting range of motion – an important feature for injured athletes who need to continue training or competing.
MedicineNet.com, a respected online educational website, has joined a multitude of other media outlets, reporting the benefits of kinesiology tape. The article explains the mechanism by which KinesioTape reduces swelling and inflammation:
“On skin, the Kinesio Tape pulls the upper layers of skin, creating more space between the dermis and the muscle. The space created is believed to relieve pressure on the lymph channels in the area between the muscle and the dermis, creating more space for lymph flow and thus better lymph drainage through an affected area.”
The MedicineNet article goes on to explain what happens when kinesiology tape is used following muscular injury: “Kinesio Tape alters the information that these (pain) receptors send to the brain and causes a less reactive response in the body, allowing the body to work in a more normal manner and removing some of the roadblocks that normally slow down the healing process.”
The article also delineates the specific differences between the Kinesio Taping Method and other taping methods:
“Kinesio Taping is currently being used by therapists to change muscle tone, move lymphatic fluids, correct movement patterns, and improve posture. The KinesioTaping Method is a unique method of applying Kinesio Tex Tape in a specific manner to create change in the aforementioned systems.”
In contrast, we are told that “athletic strapping tape is used mostly to limit ranges of motion…constrict muscle movement, and create a bridge over…injured (areas) so that athletes can perform sport movements and have either prophylactic support or support to an injured part of the body.” In addition, Kinesio Tape can be worn for several days, while athletic tape is typically removed after the end of an athletic event, due to discomfort and restriction of circulation.
The full article can be read at http://www.medicinenet.com/kinesio_tape/article.htm.
Loading ...
