Kinesiology Tape

This rehabilitative technique designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process by providing extended soft tissue manipulation.  This manipulation mimics the effects of massage while at the same time providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting their range of motion

By using this method it alleviates pain in between appointments. 

Tape used with a thickness, stretch and weight similar to the superficial skin layer allows the tape to target different receptors within the somatosensory system with minimal perception of its presence on the skin. 

The adhesive pattern is in a repeated wave form, similar to a fingerprint.  This pattern helps lift the skin and hair allowing moisture to escape. The tapes’ elastic quality causes tissue stretching that creates either a massage or a lifting effect on the sub dermal and fascial layers.   This forms convolutions in the skin, whether visible or microscopic, which separate the muscle and dermal layers as well as increase interstitial space and stimulate mechanoreceptors.  The increased space has a lower pressure gradient than the surrounding areas and pulls fluid and exudates into it.  This fluid movement essentially decreases inflammation (heat, pain and swelling) in the treated area and aids in  normal blood flow and lymphatic drainage. The space also takes pressure off swollen or injured muscles, reducing pain and allowing tissue remodeling and healing.  In addition, the tapes massaging effect provides stimulation to skin cells that affect pain pathways—similar to rubbing a spot that hurts. Kinesiotaping has been proven to have positive physiological effects on the dermal (skin), lymphatic, circulatory, and neuromuscular (fascia, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints) and scarring 

The Benefits! 

• Support of weakened, over used or injured muscles
• Assisting the muscle in either contraction or relaxation
• Reducing muscle fatigue and cramping
• Preventing over extension and over contraction
• Reduces fatigue and preventing re-injury
• Improves circulation (lymphatic and blood flow) & removal of congestion
• Lifts dermal and fascial layers to create interstitial space
• Creates osmotic pressure gradients that cause fluid flow 
• Creates drainage pathways in the subdermal layers
• Reduces inflammation (heat, pain, swelling)removes lactic acid, break down products, damaged cells and cellular debris which brings in the components required for healing
• Relieves tension in hypertonic, over used or cramped muscles
• Improves circulation which reduces the swelling, removing the pressure that stimulates the pain pathways
• Stabilises the ligaments and tendons that support the joint
• Allowing full range of motion, thereby preventing adhesion formation during healing that result in a limited or frozen joint
• Reduces joint swelling
• Facilitates  proper positioning, use and motion of the involved structures during healing.