Myofascial Release/KT Taping

What is kinesiology tape?

Kinesiology tape is a therapeutic tape that is thin and stretchy and is designed to promote movement as opposed to immobilizing an injured region of the body. Kinesiology tape is used to help relieve a patient’s pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, provide structural support to joints and muscles, and enhance athletic performance. While it is most often used as a sports tape for injured athletes, it can also be used in healthcare settings to address a wide variety of inflammatory conditions or to speed recovery after injury.

 

How is a kinesiology tape applied?

Kinesiology tape is applied over and around muscles, ligaments, tendons and other fibrous tissue.  Depending on the method or direction of application, kinesiology tape benefits by providing proprioception that signals muscles for facilitation or inhibition.  Kinesiology tape mechanically supports joints such as the shoulder or wrist by approximating connective tissues to relieve stress and/or can activate the cell layer-thick lymph system to move fluid.  In addition to direction while taping and region specificity, the main difference in application involves the amount of stretch applied to the tape by the physician.  Very simply, the stretching of the tape, whether it is the amount or direction, significantly impacts the desired taping effect.

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What conditions can be treated effectively with Kinesiology tape?

The following areas are addressed through various taping procedures:

• Mechanical Correction

• Fascia (Fascial) Correction

• Ligament/Tendon Correction

• Functional Correction

• Circulatory/Lymphatic Correction

• Pre/Postnatal Application