Taking A Deeper Look At Kinesio Tape

Physical Therapy

Developed in the late 1970s, Kinesio tape is widely used by athletes and weekend warriors alike. Kinesio tape pushes past the boundaries of stiff athletic tape and actually moves with you while it offers muscle and joint support.

But how does this brightly-colored tape actually help you? We’re going to take a deeper look at its many benefits and the reason why Kinesio tape continues to grow in popularity.

Muscle Support And Circulation

Kinesio tape works with your muscles and systems in the body to reduce inflammation and offer support. While athletic tape is designed to prohibit movement, the goal of Kinesio tape is to support your muscles while you move.

Your muscles often lose elasticity with an injury and Kinesio tape offers the same elasticity as a healthy muscle. It also lifts the skin slightly and allows for increased circulation and healing.

Is It Right For You?

Kinesio tape has a wide range of benefits (probably more than you’d think). Whether you’re recovering from an injury or dealing with inflammation, it can:

Improve muscle tone and improve athletic performance
Decrease pain and muscle spasms
Support your joints and allow a full range of motion
Decrease swelling
Improve range of motion from scar tissue

Physical Therapy And Kinesio Taping

As you may have guessed, Kinesio taping is a method often used in Physical Therapy. This is for good reason — you can still perform many of your activities normally while you’re wearing the tape.

If you’d like to see if Kinesio tape will work well for you, we suggest setting up an appointment with one of our physical therapists. We will take time to assess your pain or injury and create a recovery plan tailored to your needs and activity.

Tape Application

Because the tape design for this method is very important, your physical therapist will first apply the tape based on the location and type of injury/pain. Your physical therapist may even teach you how to apply the tape so you can do it yourself in the future.

Keep in mind, most people can get 2-3 days of wear out of the tape before having to apply it again. When you remove it, we suggest applying baby oil or getting the tape wet with soap and water to loosen the adhesive.

We’d Love To See You!

Kinesio tape is one of the many methods we use in Physical Therapy to help you recover from pain and injury. Our goal is to improve your overall health by increasing strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility.

If you are dealing with an injury or pain and would like to schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists, visit our contact page here.