You may have noticed some of the tennis players at Wimbledon this year wearing, what looked like, large sticking plasters.
Image is a general example of the use of Kinesio-tape for various conditions.
This tape is KINESIO TAPE (there are many variations).
Kinesio-Tape is the original tape created by Kenso Kase, a Japanese-American Chiropractor in the 1970s. The tape came to prominence during the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. The athletes being prime examples of its benefits during high level sporting events.
However, the GOOD NEWS is that you don’t need to be an Olympian, or tennis star, to benefit from the tape. Anyone can benefit from taping!
At The Lymington Chiropractic our chiropractors are trained in the use of taping. We use it to treat a range of problems from tennis elbow to shoulder pain – and it’s particularly good for the initial phase of frozen shoulder – to knee pain and lower-back pain. It’s especially good for feet and medial arch pain. These are only a few of the issues it can help with.
Colin says, “When we use the tape on our patients who present with injuries, I like to think it’s like putting on a ‘supporting hand’, just holding the area of injury and pain to provide a sense of comfort and sense of ease as the patient gets on with their day. It also promotes the treatment we have done. If it can be left on for up to 5 days (which is do-able, and the tape can last that long, patients can usually shower with the tape on) it can really promote the healing process. In this instance, tape can be used in a way to help with inflammation / reducing bruising / reducing tendon strains and the pressure on disc injuries.”
With those patients who want us to tape them to promote athletic performance – we can use the tape to facilitate or inhibit muscular movement ensuring a better movement pattern for the athletic patient, helping with their performance.
Kinesio-Taping is a very versatile treatment protocol and a useful tool for helping all our patients. There are specific ways to apply the tape depending on the condition. It is important to understand the qualities and properties of the Kinesio-tape to utilise it fully when applying it to a condition.
We recommend the following links for further information:
kinesiotaping.com (especially the video!)
www.healthline.com/health/kinesiology-tape#benefits
And remember, if pain and discomfort are preventing you from enjoying life, call 01590 679560 for appointments with chiropractors Colin, Charlotte or Fiona, or massage therapist Hannah. For acupuncture appointments, call Amanda directly on 07876 343 821.