Kinesio Tape
Many chiropractors and athletic trainers have been trained to use the new modern athletic taping technique called Kinesio Taping. Kinesio Tape is an alternative to traditional athletic tape but offers the patient more flexibility and greater range of motion.  This is the same colorful tape you see on professional athletes in the NBA and NFL and the same taping technique that was showcased in the Beijing Olympics by athletes around the world in sports like volleyball and track. It is recommended by practitioners around the sports world because of its added support while still allowing the joint to function in a sporting event without holding the athlete back.
Kinesio tape was originally developed to treat sports injuries but is now used in the world’s best pain management clinics to treat generalized back and neck pain.  It provides fast relief from pain for sports injuries such as tendonitis, bursitis, tennis elbow, rotator cuff injuries, joint sprains, muscle strains, hip pointers, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and muscle spasms.  Doctors have also found that it produces terrific results in treating low back pain, neck pain, whiplash, hip pain, knee pain, and some types of headaches.
The four primary effects of its use include:
  • It corrects muscle function by holding the joint in its proper position. It is effective for reconditioning abnormal muscle tension and strengthening the weakened muscle.
  • Research has shown it improves circulation of both blood and lymphatic supplies. The tape will eliminate the swelling and inflammation in the affected tissue and help to reduce further bleeding beneath the skin by moving the muscle. The tape slightly lifts the skin to allow improved drainage to reduce localized swelling in an injured are.  We have applied this tape to severely bruised areas to find that when removed, the bruising in the area of the tape has disappeared.
  • It works to relieve pain. Applying the tape to injured areas causes neurological suppression of pain.
  • Finally it helps reposition the joint in the correct position. Taping can correct minor dislocations due to abnormal muscle tension, restoring normal fascia and muscle function.