For more than 25 years, Kinesio Taping has been breaking new ground in the fields of sports performance, pain management and physical therapy.
The Kinesio Taping Method is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion. It is used to successfully treat a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and medical conditions. Both Kinesio® Tex Tape and the training protocol have shown results that would have been unheard of using older methods and materials.
In the mid-1970s, Dr. Kenzo Kase was already a well-known Japanese practitioner licensed in chiropractic and acupuncture. He developed the tape, which has a texture and elasticity very close to living human skin, in response to limitations he encountered working with rigid sports taping methods on his own patients.
Dr. Kase was experienced with both Japanese and US norms for patient treatment. He began to have questions about the limitations of the Western medical mindset. He heard of a cryotherapy treatment for arthritis that utilized tape to adjust joint distortion. In Western medicine the presumption had been that once a joint is in a certain shape that cannot be changed. He was intrigued by the possibilities that this treatment could remediate the distortion.
He developed the tape, which has a texture and elasticity very close to living human tissue, in response to limitations he encountered working with rigid sports taping methods on his own patients.
To develop such a modality, he ordered supplies of the different athletic tapes that were available at that time. None of them gave him the results he was looking for. By trial and error, he realized that the source of the complaint was actually in the muscle, not in the joint or in the bone. To stabilize the joint he saw that it was more effective to tape around the muscle to achieve joint correction. The tapes that he was able to obtain were rigid, designed to immobilize the joint.
In cases of injury or overuse, the muscle loses its elasticity. Dr. Kase needed to develop a tape that would have the same elasticity as healthy human muscle. He knew from his practice that the tape would also need to stay on the skin where it was applied. He spent two years doing a lot of research relating to elasticity, adhesives and breathability.
Finally, he came up with a tape that possessed the proper degree of elasticity, and that lifts the skin microscopically. From that beginning, Kinesio® Tex Tape was invented. Its unique properties were based on a study of kinesiology.
Kinesio® Tex Tape is used to
- Re-educate the neuromuscular system
- Reduce pain
- Enhance performance
- Prevent injury
- Promote improved circulation and healing
Dr. Kase continues to work closely with Kinesio® distributors throughout the world as well as with Kinesio Taping® Association International (KTAI) and its members. Kinesio® USA and KTAI continue to maintain Dr. Kase’s high standards of care and to track new and increasingly effective uses for the taping method.
The Kinesio Taping® Method is a definitive rehabilitative taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion. It also provides extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting. Latex-free and wearable for days at a time, Kinesio® Tex Tape is safe for populations ranging from pediatric to geriatric, and successfully treats a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and other medical conditions. The Kinesio® Taping Method is a therapeutic taping technique not only offering your patient the support they are looking for but also rehabilitating the affected condition. By targeting different receptors within the somatosensory system, Kinesio® Tex Tape alleviates pain and facilitates lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin. This lifting affect forms convolutions in the skin thus increasing interstitial space and allowing for a decrease in inflammation of the affected areas.
Based upon years of clinical use, Kinesio® Tex Tape is specifically applied to the patient based upon their needs after evaluation. The findings of the clinical evaluation or assessment dictate the specifics of the Kinesio® Tex Tape application and other possible treatments or modalities. With the utilization of single “I” strips or modifications in the shape of an “X”, “Y” or other specialized shapes as well as the direction and amount of stretch placed on the tape at time of application, Kinesio® Tex Tape can be applied in hundreds of ways. Kinesio Tex Tape has the ability to re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain and inflammation, enhance performance, prevent injury and promote good circulation and healing, and assist in returning the body to homeostasis.
The Kinesio Benefit
Evaluation and assessment are key in the treatment of any clinical condition. In order to get the desired results from a Kinesio Tex Tape application as well as any other treatment, a full assessment of your patient is necessary. In some cases, the treatment of a condition may require treatment of other underlying conditions as well. This assessment should include manual muscle testing, range of motion testing, gait assessment, and any other orthopedic special tests that you deem necessary. The information gained from these assessments will allow for the proper treatment protocol to be laid out. Kinesio Tex Tape can be a valuable addition to this protocol. It has been proven to have positive physiological effects on the skin, lymphatic and circulatory system, fascia, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. It can be used in conjunction with a multitude of other treatments and modalities within your clinic and is effective during the rehabilitative and chronic phases on an injury as well as being used for preventative measures.
Education
Education is a one of the key elements of the Kinesio Taping Method and its continued success in the world of therapeutic taping. Along with certified KT practitioners around the world, Dr. Kase is dedicated to advancing the art and science of the method through education, clinical practice and research. It is vital that a consistent standard of practice is maintained and allied health professionals wishing to learn more about the Kinesio Taping Method are encouraged to participate in seminars and courses which are offered by Certified Kinesio Taping Instructors (CKTI). After completing a certification course, practitioners join a select group of medical professionals who are able to properly use the Kinesio Taping Method within their realm of practice.
What is Kinesio® Tex Gold™ ?
By now, many people have been able to observe the highly visible athletic uses and the familiar colors and taping patterns used by successful Olympic and professional athletes. But Kinesio® Tex Gold™ is more than an athletic tape. It is a unique therapeutic tool that has provided new options in rehabilitation and sports medicine throughout the world.
This amazing elastic therapeutic tape has been designed and engineered by Dr. Kenzo Kase for more than 30 years in Japan. Since then, Kinesio® Tex Gold™ has become the standard for therapeutic and rehabilitative taping.
Kinesio® Tex Gold™ sets the standard for elastic therapeutic taping.
- It creates a lifting effect on the skin’s surface, which improves circulation and relieves pain.
- It may be applied using different amounts and directions of tension, so the tape has the ability to relax or stimulate muscles.
- It is made of gentle cotton fiber.
- It features a 100% medical-grade acrylic adhesive.
- It is totally latex free.
- It does not limit the wearer’s range of motion.
- The distinctive wave-pattern weave moves with the wearer’s movements.
- It allows for 3 to 5 day wear time to provide 24-hour results to the patient and to provide for an economical treatment.
The Kinesio Taping® method utilizes Kinesio® Tex Gold™ to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion. It is used to successfully treat a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and medical conditions. Both Kinesio® Tex Gold™ and the training protocol have shown results that would have been unheard of using older methods and materials.