Does Kinesiology Tape Help With Sports Injuries?

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What is Kinesiology Tape?

Kinesiology Tape (KT Tape) is an elastic sports tape that is designed to provide pain relief and lightweight support to muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

KT Tape is one tool in our chiropractic toolbox that we use in conjunction with other techniques to adequately support our athletic-minded patients. 

How Does KT Tape Help?

KT Tape helps support patient’s injuries in three main ways:

Pain Reduction

Think of it this way, if you bang your elbow, you’ll start to rub it with your hand to decrease the pain. What you are doing is overriding the pain receptors with mechanoreceptors, a type of somatosensory receptor that relays extracellular stimulus to intracellular signal transduction through mechanically gated ion channels. The KT Tape works in a similar way where it overrides the pain receptors and allows patients to minimize the pain they are experiencing. 

Manage Muscle Tone

Laying the tape down with stretch will activate little receptors in the skin that can help either up-regulate or down-regulate the muscle. So if you're in a muscle spasm, it helps bring that muscle back to homeostasis. 

Inflammation

When we see patients that have sprains, contusions, or bruises, we lay the tape down with a lot of stretch which creates a micro lift of the skin. This allows us to lift up the skin and fascia and flush out the inflammation.

How to Use KT Tape?

KT Tape can be applied in our office or at home. KT Tape can stay on for 3-5 days without impacting your day-to-day activities. It is waterproof so you’ll be able to sweat or shower with the tape on. Just pat it dry afterward. If the edges start to come up or if it irritates the skin, take the tape off. 

KT Tape can be applied to legs, feet, knees, back, neck/shoulders, and arms/hands. Here are comprehensive tutorials on how to apply KT Tape. 

Common Injuries Treated With KT Tape

The most common injuries we use KT Tape for are sprains and strains on ankles and hamstrings or for shoulder or knee pain. It is also very helpful for alleviating lower back pain. KT Tape is a great tool to use for sports-related injuries in conjunction with our comprehensive chiropractic services. 

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If you are experiencing pain, tightness, or soreness, book an appointment with the talented Team Elite chiropractors today!