Kinesio Taping

How it works

Kinesio Tape works by triggering the bodies proprioceptive sense and heightening it for a specific area. This is especially important in areas of injury as they present an influx of negative information flooding back to the brain. This often is enough to reduce the regular flow of proprioceptive information (on things like joint angle, muscle tension, angular velocity, etc.) in a phenomena called disafferentation.

Put simply the gentle tug provided by the water proof elastic tape not only provides tensile support, it increases the amount of information that brain gathers on that particular joint.  This leads to not only external support, but increased support from the internal structures.

Additional Benefits

Unlike white athletic tape, Kinesio Tape is water proof and to a great degree sweat proof (at least over the course of a single competition). It is also made of high grade cotton that enhances breathing and wicking of sweat.

The gentle tug provided by the elastic quality of the tape actually lifts the skin and allows body fluids to flow unrestricted (I don't know how many times I had to get a white tape job cut off because my toes or fingers turned blue.) Actual use of this application can help in the healing process as swollen and bruised areas clear faster with specific kinesio tape applications.

The ability to work with complex joints is huge. In the past trainers had to come up with creative ways to provide the difficult combination of support needed for an injured joint and mobility needed for performance. My own experience revealed that even with their creative minds whirring at full speed the result was often bulky and undesirable for an athlete. (Not to blame them, but the medium they were working in had its limitations). 

With the specific application technique, in addition to the activation of specific muscles for support you have the ability, when applied in the opposite direction, to essentially shut down a muscle. This comes into play when one has a tight or spastic muscle, or a muscle that is no longer needed to be active (like after an event is over) and can now be left to relax and heal while out of competition.

There are two ways to apply Kinesio® Tex Tape. You can apply the tape with little to no stretch, which is described as UNSTRETCHED, or you can apply the tape while it is stretched, which is known as 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, the flow of blood and lymphatic fluid beneath the skin improves.

STRETCHED:

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 tape and Kinesio Taping® is fundamentally different. 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.

Watch reports on Kinesio Tape from CNBC