Benefits Of Kinesio Taping

While watching your favorite sports game, you surely may have seen some of the athletes wearing colorful web-like tapings on their shoulders, knees or legs. These flashy new tapes are called Kinesio Tapes and are generally referred to as “elastic therapeutic tape” or “kinesiology tape”. While these tapes are not available at your local drug store, you can order these online after being advised to do so by your therapist. Most runners require these tapes post minor injuries. Let’s take a look at the different ways in which Kinesio taping can be of help.

For Pain

It is common for athletes to develop a lower back pain, but they can also develop pain in other areas of the body that may be bothersome. When kinesio tape is placed on the affected area, it helps decrease the pain and discomfort you are experiencing. Depending on the area that is injured, different methods or styles of taping are used. Kinesio taping is usually used after manual manipulation, which is done by an expert physical therapist. There is a taping method that is used for bruises and swelling, which helps by draining fluids into the lymphatic ducts.

For Rehabilitation

All athletes know that after a sports event or due to overtraining, the body can feel exhausted. In these cases, rehabilitation of the affected areas is important so that the athlete can get back to training for the next events. Manual manipulation is important for rehabilitation. Using Kinesio tape after a manual manipulation session can increase efficacy of your treatment. The tape can help open up fascial tissue to make manual manipulation easier. It gives a continuous stabilization to the affected area and also gives muscles and ligaments a chance to rebuild and restore by taking the pressure off from those areas that have been worked on manually.

For Alignment

The Kinesio taping method also helps with alignment. If you have a tendency to slouch, or have an area of the body that is not properly aligned, Kinesio tape can bring the body back into alignment and help you sense how this feels in the body. Having proper alignment of your body can decrease pain and help the joints recover from activities.

For Competitions

One more area that may interest athletes is that Kinesio tape can be used during a sporting event. Most athletes tend to know if they have rolling ankles or patellar tracking issues. Regardless of the injury or affected area, Kinesio tape can be put on the affected area to help give it support and prevent it from injuries if the athlete plans to do a sporting event.

Kinesio taping can be used to support a muscle, relax a muscle, assist in the drainage of fluids and can help with pain relief. If as an athlete you would like to know more about this therapeutic tape, consult our expert therapists at HCR Edmonton today.