How to Use Kinesio Tape?

What is Kinesio Tape

There are many different varieties of tapes for therapeutic and sports use available in pharmacies. Out of all the choices, the Kinesio Tape is a very popular option. Kinesio tapes were made popular by Chinese athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although it was around for a long time and used primarily in physiotherapy, it is now being used by athletes and non-athletes as a Sports Tape. It is an elastic tape devoid of any latex. The method of use involves taping it around the muscle area. It is preferred over other type of tapes owing to its versatility. It can be used prior to an activity or during it and even after completion. The fact that it can be used continuously for over two days adds to its popularity. You can buy Kinesio tapes and other similar products from Vitality Medical (vitalitymedical.com) at cheaper rates than other sites and with a zero restocking fee.

Benefits provided by Kinesio Tape

Kinesio Tape is used by athletes to avoid injuries during activity and to soothe muscle pain. The taping method employed ensures that the muscles are slightly constricted. This condition allows blood flow to that area of muscle and joints to increase. When used after an activity, the taping rejuvenates tired muscles. But when it is used prior to an activity, it works by strengthening week or fatigued muscles. During the activity, the taping helps in improving performance by increasing awareness of the taped area while reducing sensation at the same time.

Mechanism of Action

Kinesio tapes work by tightening the skin through convoluting it. This in turn sooths the nerves and skin sensors which reducing edema, inflation and helps in relaxing the muscles. In case of fatigued muscles, the mechanism involves soothing sensory receptors so as to reduce the pain experienced during movement. It aids in rejuvenation of tired muscles by increasing blood flow to that area.

Kinesio Tape for Tennis Elbow

Tennis Elbow is a very common injury faced by a large number of people. It can be really frustrating for a person suffering from this problem as it restricts the movement of the arm and also its strength. Kinesio tape is light weight and can be used as a support to the arm and it also helps to reduce inflammation. Start off by cutting a length of Kinesio tape corresponding to the length of your arm starting from the wrist to an inch below the elbow. Split this tape into two length wise by cutting through the middle and stop an inch from the end. You will end up with a Y shaped strip of tape. Next, apply the un-split end to your wrist by wrapping it around with no extra stretching. Next, use one of the long arms of the tape to wrap all the way up to the elbow, all the while slightly stretching the tape. Make sure to rub the tape so that the adhesive can set. Finally apply the last remaining long strip of the Y shaped Kinesio tape parallel to the other long strip so that the forearm is completely covered up to the elbow. Finally cut a small inch sized Kinesio tape and apply it to the end near the elbow as an anchor. Make sure to stretch it completely while applying so as to make a seal. With the taping completed, move the arm around and see if it has reduced the pain. With proper application and regular use of this tape, Tennis Elbow can easily be controlled and treated.

Scoliosis control through Kinesio tape

Scoliosis is an affliction of the spine muscles which leads to a curvature of the back and can be quite painful. It is often brought about by accidents or genetic inheritance or even diseases such as Polio. Although it cannot be cured completely, the pain it causes can be reduced considerably with the use of Kinesio taping. A mild case of Scoliosis can be easily controlled by just using tapes. Since the signs of Scoliosis include an unbalanced shoulder level or hip level, you can use Kinesio tape to provide extra support to the shoulder which is at a higher level than the other. To do this start taping from the shoulder area near to the neck region and extend up to the end of the shoulder blade. In case of an unbalanced hip, you will require a V shaped tape. Apply this tape to the higher of both sides of the hip by starting from the waist with the pointed end of the tape and moving upwards towards the ribcage with the two arms of V tape. This should provide enough support to the spine and keep the hip balanced. Along with these methods, you can also tape your waist to provide extra support to the spine. You can also tape from shoulder to the hip in a straight line on the side with the lower of the two shoulders. This will stretch the compressed muscles. Incase Scoliosis appears in the upper part of the spine then tape across it to provide support and correct posture. Although Scoliosis is not a curable affliction; in mild cases, it can be completely controlled using Kinesio tape.

General Applications

You can put Kinesio Tape to the same use in everyday use as well. For fatigued muscles and sprains you can apply a pain relieving spray to the area and then wrap it up with Kinesio tape as you would for a tennis elbow and let it stay for a couple of days. When using Kinesio tapes, remember that you can wrap tightly by stretching the tape to 40% of its capacity only over the joint areas. For the Muscle areas, you can stretch it up to a maximum of 20%. Anymore than this would result in over-constriction of the blood vessels below the skin and thus, numb the muscles beyond use. Other than the general applications of Kinesio tape mentioned above, it is also used by physiotherapists to alleviate a large number of muscle and nerve related afflictions. In the sporting world, it is used to alleviate knee pains experienced by runners, neck pains faced by swimmers, ankle sprains faced by soccer players and in other ball games such as tennis, basketball, baseball etc. The possibilities of Kinesio tape are limitless. When used in the right manner it can be used to reduce and alleviate muscle pain without taking any form of sedatives of pain relievers.

Kinesio Tape is available at Vitality Medical. This tape comes in assorted colors and sizes to fit individual needs and preferences. Illustrated manuals and a Kinesio DVD are available to help learn the taping techniques. Discount Kinesio Tape at prices you can afford! Vitality Medical also carries a variety of other Medical Tapes and Adhesives.