Kinesio Taping
Kinesiology tape is tape which has the same thickness and elasticity of the skin. It allows the skin to breathe and can be worn for 4-5 days. It allows the normalisation of over-stretched or over-contracted muscles.
The main functions of kinesio-taping are:
- To normalise muscle function
- To Improve lymphatic and blood flow
- To reduce and manage pain
- To correct misalignment of joints and tissues
With injury the space between the skin and muscles gets compressed which can cause pain and poor lymphatic drainage. By putting the K-tape on a stretch when applying, the space between the skin and muscle increases. This means the skin and muscles can move more freely and thus cause pain relief. Kinesiology taping is particularly useful for treating sporting injuries or helping reduce the stress on any previous injury during games. Kinesio- taping can help improve muscle flexibility in muscle which are very tight and overworked but can also depending on how applied can facilitate with strengthening of weak muscle. Therefore it is very useful in the treatment of muscle imbalance problems. At archview we commonly use Kinesio-taping for hamstring strains, elbow pain, rotator cuff problems and quad strains.