12/02/14
Kinesiology Taping making big appearance at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: John Gibbons
I’ve been following the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics with much interest, I love sport of any kind but it’s not often you get to see such coverage of a host of amazing snowy disciplines.
Unlike those sports played in warmer climes (think volley-ball, think tennis, think athletics) the presence of kinesiology taping is less obvious, athletes are covered head-to-toe in warm thermal gear and it’s unlikely we’ll see the bright tape as we do in the standard Olympics; adorning legs, arms, backs and shoulders. However, the use of the tape in the Winter Olympics is just as popular as it has been in the standard Olympics in London, Beijing and Athens; in fact I recently found out the founder of Kinesio Taping Dr. Kenzo Kase and his team are actually present at the Winter Olympics providing medical support to the Olympic athletes and making sure kinesiology taping is used to its utmost.
Dr. Kenzo Kase researched and started developing kinesiology tape in the 1970s and it made it’s first appearance at an Olympics in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics, since then it has appeared at every Olympics since, developing each time and being used among more and more athletes.
So snowy, or warm, indoors or outdoors kinesiology taping is now standard practice across all sporting disciplines…sometimes it might just be hidden under layers of thermals.
A snippet from my ‘Kinesiology Taping’ book that is available to buy now….
Introduction
Any physical therapist involved with assessing, treating and rehabilitating sports related injuries, or even patients that present with back and neck pain, will need to have the skill of taping. Kinesiology taping is definitely the current buzzword in the field of sports medicine.
This brightly coloured tape is now a very common sight at all major sporting events throughout the world and is even seen at some recreational activities. Therefore, therapists need to master the techniques. They are relatively simple to learn and once applied in a specific way can improve the performance of an athlete as well as reducing any pain and swelling.
This book guides the reader towards having a better understanding of both why and when to apply the Bodymaster Method® of kinesiology taping. It outlines how to effectively treat over 50 of the most common sports related injuries, with the application of scientifically proven kinesiology taping methods (KTMs), and includes treatment guidelines for specific areas of the body that a patient/athlete might present with at a physical therapy clinic, e.g. lower back, sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and cervical spine (neck).
Comparison of Kinesiology Tape vs Conventional Athletic Tape
Most types of athletic tape have very little or no stretch; however, kinesiology tape is very elastic and can be stretched longitudinally up to 120–180% of its original size. In addition, the thickness of kinesiology tape and its elasticity are similar to that of human skin.
When non-elastic athletic tape is applied to an injury, the rigidity of the tape can cause a restriction or it can even prevent movement of the taped area. This is desirable for severe injuries where immobilisation is necessary
to prevent further damage. Most injuries, however, do not require full immobilisation and this is where the flexibility of kinesiology tape comes into its own. KTM can therefore provide support to injured muscles and joints, while still allowing a safe and pain-free ROM, unlike conventional taping. This enables patients
and athletes to continue training or competing while they recover from lower-back and neck pain, as well as minor to moderate sports related injuries.
When conventional athletic tape is applied there is the possibility that circulation can be compromised, plus the issue of removing the tape after every sporting event. Kinesiology tape, on the other hand, can be worn for many days, providing support and therapeutic benefits ‘24/7’. In addition, this tape does not cause problems to the underlying tissues or restriction to the associated joint(s). Another benefit is that once kinesiology tape is removed it does not tend to leave any glue- like residue compared to conventional athletic strapping and taping products.
How to Choose the Right Type of Kinesiology Tape
I have tried and tested many varieties of kinesiology tape and the top brands tested better than the easily available, cheaper options. My team and I are based at the sports injury clinic for the University of Oxford and, therefore, have been able to try most of the top brands on both elite athletes and non- athletic patients alike. All the better quality kinesiology taping products tested well, with some variations among stretch, tape feel, adhesive quality, etc. Maybe try a few and find your own preference.
I like the phrase used by the kinesiology taping product company Rocktape (who I consider to be one of the leaders in the field). They mention in their literature that there are essentially two types of tape: ‘cheap and good tape’. Rocktape highly recommend avoiding cheap tape on patients as it often peels and frays much faster than high-quality tape. Reports of skin reactions are also more frequent with cheap tape. As Rocktape suggests, I would personally avoid the cheaper and less known or tested products.
How Does Kinesiology Taping Work?
Any type of injury or trauma to the body will set off the body’s natural protective mechanism known as the inflammatory response (Fig. 1.4). The main identifiable signs of this response are: pain, swelling, heat and redness as well as restriction to the ROM.Kinesiology taping has been clinically shown to help with the natural response to inflammation as it targets different receptors within the somatosensory system. Correct application of KTMs helps alleviate pain and encourages the facilitation of lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin. This lifting effect helps create distortions in the skin, thus increasing interstitial space and allowing a decrease in the inflammatory process for affected areas (Fig. 1.5(a, b)).
As shown with Figure 1.5a, the underlying nerve endings, lymphatic vessels and blood vessels are in a state of ‘compression’ due
to an injury. Any type of injury will cause an inflammation, as explained earlier, and this natural process will produce some form of swelling, e.g. one common type of swelling is a haematoma, and subsequent pressure will build up within the tissue. This naturally occurring process, with the increased pressure that is building up within the soft tissues, will start to irritate the nociceptors (pain receptors) and pain will be perceived. As I often quote during my kinesiology taping courses, ‘swelling causes pressure and pressure causes pain; to reduce the pain we have to reduce the pressure, and this is where specific kinesiology taping procedures can be utilised to assist in the reduction of the pressure that has built up within the soft tissues’. Other treatment methods can also be used at the same time as kinesiology taping, e.g. ice packs and non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).