You’ve likely seen runners with tapes stuck to their legs or knees. This is something increasingly used by physiotherapists to reduce muscle pain. These tapes are called kinesiology tapes (or neuromuscular bandages). However, while you can apply them yourself, you need to know how to do it correctly. But what are they? How do they work? What are they used for? We spoke to experts to answer all these questions.
Kinesiology tape is an elastic tape applied to muscles that experience injury or pain. "It’s an elastic tape that provides sensory input to the area while still allowing full range of motion.” It was developed in the 1970s by Kenzo Kase, a chiropractor in Japan. Instead of using rigid medical tape, he wanted to create something that mimicked the elasticity of human skin. Although used by professional athletes, physiotherapists, and trainers, it didn’t become widespread until the 2008 Summer Olympics. Today, kinesiology tape is widely used in the sports world. Unlike athletic tape, which is often used to support a joint and ends up restricting movement, kinesiology tape can stretch up to 40% of its original length without losing elasticity. This provides support without limiting body movement.
If applied correctly, kinesiology tape doesn’t lift the skin from the underlying tissue. Everyone has nerve receptors in their skin, as well as in deeper layers of fascia, muscles, and other connective tissues. When the tape is applied, it causes compression and decompression in the area, which modulates the pain signals sent to the brain.
For instance, after a surgical procedure to treat an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, the quadriceps are likely to weaken. Applying kinesiology tape to the quadriceps with maximum tension gathers those muscle fibers to trigger a contraction (strengthening the muscle). On the other hand, for someone with plantar fasciitis and significant calf tightness, applying tape with limited tension can “turn off” the muscle, reducing pain signals. Kinesiology tape reduces swelling or pain, enhances muscle function, and improves strength and range of motion.
Depending on how kinesiology tape is applied, it can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including muscle inhibition, muscle facilitation, pain relief, swelling reduction, injury prevention, proprioceptive stability (helping muscles provide stability without losing motion), and tissue decompression.
For runners, there are several common pains that kinesiology tape can address. Here are seven types of pain it can help with:
5. Swelling in any muscle
6. Back pain
7. Pain in shoulders, elbows, and arms
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