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For over 25 years, Kinesio has provided comfort and stability to it's loyal users. Kinesio® Tex Gold™ offers patients a more gentle approach to rehabilitation than those provided by conventional athletic tape. On the heels of the unprecedented publicity and positive feedback from the 2008 Games in Beijing, Kinesio® would like to invite you to experience what athletes and medical practitioners around the world are calling the rehabilitative and enhancement tool.
What is Kinesio® Taping?
The Kinesio® Taping Method has taken the Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine world by storm. This amazing taping method was developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase over 25 years ago in Japan. Since then, Kinesio® Taping has become the gold, or should we say "platinum," standard for therapeutic and rehabilitative taping. This proprietary method of taping uses a uniquely designed and patented tape for treatment of muscular disorders and lymphedema reduction, among other things.
The Kinesio® Taping Method involves taping over and around muscles in order to assist and give support or to prevent over-contraction. The first technique gives the practitioner the opportunity to give support while still maintaining full range of motion. This enables the individual to participate in his/her normal physical activities with functional assistance. The second technique, which is most commonly used in the acute stage of rehabilitation, helps prevent overuse or over-contraction and helps provide facilitation of lymph flow for an entire 24 hour period. Correctional techniques include mechanical, lymphatic, ligament/tendon, fascia, space and functional. Kinesio® Tex Tape can be used in conjunction with other therapies, including cryotherapy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy and electrical stimulation.
Kinesio® Taping affects the activation of the neurological system and the circulatory system. Muscles are not only attributed to the movements of the body, they also control the circulation of venous and lymph flows, body temperature, etc. Therefore, the failure of the muscles to function properly induces various kinds of symptoms. Consequently, more attention was given to the importance of muscle function in order to activate the body's own healing process. Using an elastic tape, such as Kinesio® Tex Tape, it was discovered that muscles and other tissues could be helped by outside assistance. Kinesio® Taping is an innovative approach to treating nerves, muscles and organs.
Since the introduction of Kinesio® Taping in the United States, medical practitioners such as PTs, ATCs, OTs, DCs, MTs and MDs have recognized and embraced this effective, safe and best of all, easy-to-use modality. The method and tape allow the individual to receive the therapeutic benefits 24 hours a day with both comfort and ease because it can be worn for several days per application. Currently, Kinesio® Taping is used in hospitals, clinics, high schools and by even by professional sports teams.
Kinesio® Taping Method Concepts
There are two ways to apply Kinesio® Tex Tape: unstretched or stretched.
UNSTRETCHED: In this case, we stretch the skin of the affected area before application of the tape. This is done by stretching the muscles and joints in the affected area. After application, the taped skin will form convolutions when the skin and muscles contract back to their normal position. When the skin is lifted by this technique, subcutaneous flow of blood and lymphatic fluid is increased.
On the other hand, if joints or ligaments are injured, the tape should be STRETCHED before application to the skin. The damaged joints or ligaments are incapable of functioning normally and rely on the stretched tape for correction. It is also important to note that while, depending on the injury, tape is either stretched or not stretched, this does not mean that the actual application technique will change.
To ensure that the muscles have free range of motion, elastic tapes
with an elasticity of 130-140% of its original length are recommended
for Kinesio® Taping. This specific elasticity also will not allow an
over stretch of the muscles themselves. It may look like conventional
athletic tape, but Kinesio® Tape is fundamentally different from
traditional athletic tapes. Kinesio® Taping is based on a different
philosophy that aims to give free range of motion in order to allow the
body's muscular system to heal itself bio-mechanically.
Kinesio® Taping alleviates pain and facilitates
lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin. The taped
portion forms convolutions in the skin, thus increasing interstitial
space. The result is that pressure and irritation are taken off the
neural and sensory receptors, alleviating pain. Pressure is gradually
taken off the lymphatic system, allowing it to channel more freely.
Caution should be exercised to prevent lateral
shearing forces particularly on the elderly or individuals who have
systemic illness or sensitive and/or traumatized tissue. Increased
unidirectional pull on the skin can cause blistering or micro trauma
increasing edema and hemorrhage. In addition, over stimulation of pain
and nociceptors of the skin may increase pain or produce itching.
Kinesio USA, LLC recommends consulting your physician/Certified Kinesio
Taping Practitioner prior to the use of Kinesio® Tex Tape.
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