While KinesioTape has been used by chiropractors, physical therapists and trainers around the world for about 30 years, it really became well known during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Numerous athletes in every Olympic sport used the tape but it was beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh that really became the poster child for Kinesio Tape.
Traditional athletic tape restricts movement to protect joints. Kinesio Tape, on the other hand, has similar elastic properties to muscle. Depending on how the tape is applied this elasticity can be used to facilitate or inhibit muscle or joint movement.
The increased recognition of the effectiveness of Kinesio Tape has spawned a number of competing brands. Unfortunately, there is a wide variety in the quality of these competing products that make some of them almost inappropriate for kinesio taping applications. Some of the kinesio taping products are also available in regular retail outlets. The danger to this is that the tape itself is not a magic “cure-all”. Correct application is crucial for the tape to do its job properly. In some cases, an incorrect application could even be detrimental to the injury that is being treated.
I completed all three modules of the Kinesio Taping Certification program during the summer of 2010. In December of that year, I completed the certification examination to become the only Certified Kinesio-Taping Practitioner (CKTP) in the Redlands area.
The athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games popularized the use of Kinesio Tape for sports injuries, but it is also useful in cases of whiplash, swelling or edema, muscle weakness, postural issues and more. I have already seen some great results with kinesio tape for some of these injuries on my patients. So far the people of Redlands seem to prefer the more subtle beige color, rather than the black, pink or blue that was so visible at the Olympics.
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