Made trendy during the previous Olympic Games, straps of all hues adorned the various limbs of competitors, specifically the arms, legs, and torso. This ‘Kinesio Tape’ was at the out set designed by a Japanese chiropractor (KenzoKase) just over forty years ago. The tape stresses more than a few benefits, to be precise that it can comfort muscular pain, diminish tissue inflammation, wind down tight, inflexible muscles, and aid in therapy. At the end of the day, the point is to improve athletic performance. Customarily, athletes (or any individual for that matter) with muscular or joint-based lesions would tape a muscle or joint so as to control undesirable motion and thus hinder further injury. This would sooner or later end up with the wrapping of the entire limb (almost like a cast or casing). Logically, this would side-step further injury by restraining the entire area, but it would also obstructproper circulation to the affected area. ‘Kinesio Tape’ takes a divergent approach, whereby the tape used simulates the structure of human tissue, allowing the muscle or tendon affected to move unimpeded, while still facilitating a greater degree of stability.
The architect of the tape, KenzoKase, has listed four functions concerning its use. To begin with, the proper application cultivates the muscle’s ability to contract even when it is impaired, thereby decreasing the feeling of pain and lethargy, and serves to guard the affected muscle from cramping. What is more, due to the effects given in the first application, excess chemical build-up and waste product derived from lactic acid is avoided. Thirdly, due to the tape’s imitation of human connective tissue, it accelerates the body’s own healing devices, thereby decreasing the time it takes to make a complete recovery.Last of all, as the tape is not a ‘cast’, it does not limit joint movement, and allows for the upgrading or preservation in joint range of motion (a common worry with typical athletic taping tools).[1][2][3]
Bibliography
- Kase, Kenzo. "Kinesio FAQs." Kinesio Taping - Global. Web. 16 December 2013. <http://www.kinesiotaping.com/global/
- Meredith, Sheena. "Kinesio Tape for Athletes: A Big Help, or Hype?" WebMD - Better information. Better health. Web. 16 December 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/kinesio-tape-athletes-help-hype>.
- Williams S., Whatman C., Hume P.A., Sheerin K. (2012). "Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness". Sports Med 42 (2): 153–64.
[1]Meredith, Sheena. "Kinesio Tape for Athletes: A Big Help, or Hype?" WebMD - Better information. Better health.Web. 16 December 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/kinesio-tape-athletes-help-hype>.
[2]Kase, Kenzo. "Kinesio FAQs." Kinesio Taping - Global. Web. 16 December 2013. <http://www.kinesiotaping.com/global/
[3]Williams S., Whatman C., Hume P.A., Sheerin K. (2012). "Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness". Sports Med 42 (2): 153–64.
