What is kinesiology tape?

Due to it’s simplicity kinesiology tape has a multitude of uses including; pain relief, reduces swelling and inflammation, provide structural support to joints and muscles, and enhances athletic performance. This is achieved in 4 ways:

Proprioception - Kinesiology tape can be used to create pressure over ligaments and tendons for improved proprioception and dynamic stability. This also has been theorized to stimulate mechanoreceptors thus improving proprioception. Diagnoses for these techniques include; ankle sprains, medial and lateral ligament sprains of the knee and patella tendonitis among many other applications.

Functional Correction - Kinesiology taping can also be used for functional correction that is assisting or limiting a motion through sensory stimulation and tactile cueing. Applications include position-and-hold technique and work very well for diagnoses which include patellofemoral dysfunction, subacromial impingement due to scapula/postural dysfunction. 

Muscle Cueing - Kinesiology tape also has elastic properties which mimic elasticity of human skin and these elastic qualities can be used to cue or assist the movements such as with the use of dropfoot or loss of muscle tone as well as rotator cuff insufficiency. Kinesio tape’s elasticity can also be used for fascial repositioning or correction. This can be applied to such diagnoses as lateral epicondylitis and iliotibial band issues.

Pain Relief - Kinesiology tape has also demonstrated reduction of pain through tactile stimulation possibly utilizing the gate control theory of the pain and has been sighted in studies as being effective for acute cervicalgia. Kinesiology taping techniques have also been used as a lymphatic assist by creating areas of decreased pressure to direct exudates to the nearest lymphatic duct in theory. This has been shown to reduce ecchymosis after initial muscle strain of impact injury as well as reducing edema in extremities.

Coaches and trainers are carrying kinesiology tape in their kits. Athletes keep them in their sports bags, for quick application should an injury occur. Many physical therapists and chiropractors have incorporated kinesiology tape into their practices, and are loving the speed, simplicity and duplicability of working with kinesiology tape applications.