Commonly used to help in the treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries, kinesio tape is used to assist in the treatment of various orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and medical conditions. Depending on the patient’s injury kinesiology tape can be applied in a variety of patterns and help with decreasing pain perception, improving fluid dynamics (helping reduce swelling and bruising) and improve with body/postural awareness.
Another type of taping that is used, Athletic taping, is intended to restrict the movement of the affected muscles and joints by wrapping the desired area and obstructing the tissues ability to move freely. This commonly used taping method (athletic or sport tape) is used for movement restriction, whereas kinesiology tape— facilitates normal movement.
Simulating the characteristics and functioning of human skin, kinesiology tape is applied and stretched to varying degrees of tension depending on the desired effect and end result. This non-restrictive taping technique facilitates full range of motion and can be used for alleviating the effects of low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee issues, shoulder conditions, ankle sprains, groin injury, hamstring strain, rotator cuff injury, patella tendinopathy, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, pre- and post-surgical edema, and more.
We use kinesiology tape to draw awareness to how you are moving, decrease swelling and bruising in a joint, or create a low-pressure area for fluid to move and drain. Kinesiology taping has numerous therapeutic benefits, including psychological, compressive, microcirculatory and neurosensory.
Psychological: Patients commonly feel an improved perception of stability through kinesiology taping, allowing them to focus and persist with training and competition.
Compressive: When just the tape, not the muscle, is stretched, the compression from taping provides a sense of support while allowing the muscle or joint to move through a range of motion safely.
Microcirculatory: Stretching both the tape and the tissue it is applied to can promote a decompression effect on the underlying structures leading to a dramatic increase in blood and lymphatic flow and also a reduction in swelling and inflammation.
Neurosensory: The mere contact of the tape to the skin can stimulate receptors that alter the sensation of pain and improve your awareness of your body’s position in space. This can be very useful when trying to promote specific postures and positions as the stretch from the tape can provide feedback to educate the individual on moving in a specific manner.
We use and see the benefits of RockTape on our patients and athletes. It is easy to apply (usually worn for about 2-5 days) and very comfortable for someone to have on their body. We recommend it for many conditions and in many situations. Here are the top three benefits of using RockTape in our clinic:
Reduces Pain – RockTape is used for our patients seeking pain relief. Applying RockTape over the pain point area can actually reduce the pain perception by the brain.
Reduces Swelling and Bruising – Through its decompressive effects it improves tissue slide and glide as well as lymphatic flow, therefore, RockTape can have a profound effect on reducing bruising and swelling.
Enhances Biomechanics – RockTape application can be used to promote and bring awareness to specific positions and postures. As you begin to move out of a certain position RockTape can create a “pulling” effect on the skin to alert/cue you that you are moving in a specific direction. This increased awareness can improve your movement patterning and in turn enhance your sports performance.
