Kinesiology Tape to Reduce Injury and Improve Recovery

 

Having second skin is probably one of an athlete's biggest dreams. Falling, spraining your knee, and rising back up to peel off the damaged skin and poof! You’re back to normal.

You can only wish for that, and that is the one thing kinesiology tapes can offer you almost effortlessly. 

Kinesiology sports tapes were made as clones of the skin. Having almost the same elasticity so that when they are applied, they are barely felt and do not restrict movement. The tapes are used mainly by professional athletes, people with muscle or joint problems, runners, pregnant women, etc.

On application of the tape, it contracts and lifts the skin slightly, creating some space between the skin and the tissues below, thereby reducing the pressure.

Do a quick google search on kinesiology tapes, and you’ll find that two of the most frequently asked questions are: “Do kinesiology tapes heal injuries?” and, “Do kinesiology tapes reduce injury and pain?”

The answers are “Yes” and “Yes.”

They do heal injuries and reduce pain. Although in the case of healing injuries, some other accessories are used in conjunction to increase effectiveness while simultaneously reducing blistering or discomfort that it can sometimes cause.

As Schooley said, “Taping is not a permanent solution, You want to build your strength and skill because correcting the root problem is key.”

This article will explain how kinesiology tapes reduce injury and improve recovery. 

Kinesiology Tapes: How Do They Reduce Injury and Improve Recovery?

Here are a few ways:

Creating Space Between Joints

When a kinesiology sports tape is laid over a joint, i.e., the knee or elbow joint, the space between the joints microscopically increases. Doing so reduces the friction between the joints, and there is less irritation and risk of pain.

Changing the Proprioception

Kinesiology tapes  have been found to reduce pain by changing the information passed through your nervous system. The tissues in the body are attached to sensory receptors that receive stimulus pain, temperature, and touch, known as proprioception—the brain’s sense of where your body is and what it’s doing. What a Kinesiology tape does is lift the load pressuring the underlying tissues.

Using the analogy of a person carrying four bricks on his head and then another person carrying four bricks on his head but with an article of clothing placed underneath. It can be understood that decompressing or reducing the pressure within the tissues will pass a different message to the brain thereby changing its perception of the pain or signal received, causing it also to respond differently. The new and different signal sent reduces the tension.

By Improving Blood and Fluid Circulation in the Body

Swelling is caused by injuries when the flow of fluid is restricted, and all the blood is forced to settle down in one place. A subcutaneous space is created when you apply a kinesiology tape which changes the pressure in the area beneath the skin directly under it, simultaneously enhancing and regulating fluid flow in the area.

Although in a few cases, the kinesiology tapes have been said to reduce or tamper with the flow of blood /lymphatic fluid (white blood cells, water-containing proteins, bacteria, and some other chemicals).

They however majorly do not affect the flow of blood negatively.

By Providing Support for Weak Body Parts

Kinesiology tapes support the weaker parts of the body or joints that need them. They do not restrict motion despite being attached to a part of the body; they improve the performance of the area in which they support. 

They are synonymous with backbones and provide support for sore muscles and joints, making them more functional and efficient than they would have been without the presence of the tape.

Re-Training the Muscles

Much more like us, the muscles are used to a routine way of doing things. It has become a pattern such that we unconsciously even do some things. The same goes for the muscles. It doesn’t matter if it is a healthy or unhealthy routine.

This is where the kinesiology tape comes into play; they shape and reshape the routine that the muscles have been trained in. Here by re-training them into a healthier pattern.

A study shows that therapists now increasingly use kinesiology tapes to correct postures.

The strange sensation of the tape on your skin is said to consciously make you more aware of all your movements, making you consciously adjust.

Kinesiology Tapes are Used to Treat Injuries

Just like a part of the body can’t function alone without its counterparts, the kinesiology tape can not be used alone; it has to be used with some other materials to perform its full function.

Which explains why they are used in conjunction with manual therapy. Kinesiology tapes are very effective in treating people with injuries as they reduce pain and swelling.

How to Apply Kinesiology Tapes Correctly?

You may think you can never go wrong with applying a kinesiology tape. Place it over the joint and plaster it on, and that’s all. But you’re wrong.

Although it is advisable to have your physical therapist apply the tape for you. You can also apply it yourself with proper guidance from them.

The first and main reason the tape can be applied wrongly is that there is a target area that must be applied over for it to do a proper job; without proper guidance, it can easily be missed. You might think you’ve gotten the right spot, but it might only just be a part of it.

Here is a proven step-by-step way to apply your kinesiology tape correctly.

• Make sure the area to which you are about to apply the tape is clean, dry, and free from lotions, oil, and hair. 

• Peel off the backing paper at the center of the tape.

• Depending on the brand, if not present, cut rounded corners at the edge of each strip. This helps keep the tape on for a longer period.

• Apply the first tab to anchor or hold the strip and let the end recoil slightly after you’ve taken off the backing paper. The tabs hold the strips in place; a stretch on either side will make the tape fall off sooner than it should. 

• DO NOT touch the adhesive part, as it will reduce the stickiness. You can, however, hold the tape in place by keeping your fingers on the packing paper.

• Depending on what you’re using it for and your therapist's prescription, the tape's stretch will differ. For a 75% stretch, extend the tape as far as it will go and then release it about a quarter of its length.

• To get an even stretch, use the whole of your thumb across the tape 

• You can then proceed to rub the strip of tape vigorously as heat activates the glue. It starts working in 20 minutes.

How to Remove Kinesiology Tapes?

Removing the tape is just as important as its application.

To remove the tape:

1. Apply some oil on the strip of tape to loosen its grip on the skin so it won’t hurt on removal.
2. DO NOT yank at the tape. Remove it as slowly as possible as the tape may not have been properly loosened with the oil. 
3. After successfully pulling up a part of the tape, push down on your skin to separate your skin from the tape.
4. Pull the tape back rather than straight up and also compress your skin while you pull the tape back towards the end tab.
5. DO NOT reapply if the skin is irritated or damaged. 

So, Why Hampton Adams Kinesiology Tape? 

Unlike the normal strapping tapes that are really uncomfortable, our kinesiology sports tapes here at  Hampton Adams  do not restrict movement in any form in fact they even aid it. The tape supports and assists rather than restricts motion.

When a normal tape is worn for a long time, blood and fluid circulation begin to stop in the area where the tape is applied. It is a different case for Hampton Adams Kinesiology Tapes. Our tape maintains the same circulation rate within the body even after days of application. 

As mentioned earlier, the tapes have similar thickness and elasticity to normal skin. It doesn’t end there. They act like second skin and are also thin, flexible, and water-resistant. There is no wastage whatsoever as long as the tape is properly applied and maintained. 

Now, what exactly is stopping you from getting this gem of a tape from us at  Hampton Adams?