Kinesiotaping in Millersville, MD

What is Kinesiotaping?

Kinesiotaping is a therapeutic taping technique that alleviates pain and facilitates lymphatic drainage. Kinesiology tape is offered in pre-cut, ready-to-apply strips for different areas of the body, including the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, lower back, mid-back (to improve posture), neck, hip, knee, ankle, and foot. This taping offers the continuous care necessary to reduce discomfort and swelling. It also helps restore strength to an injured area and can improve your flexibility where a range of motion has been restricted. Kinesiotape is latex-free and wearable for days at a time, making it safe and popular for patients of all ages to treat orthopedic, neuromuscular, and neurological medical conditions.

How is Kinesiotaping Used?

Kinesiology tape is a stretchy tape made from a proprietary blend of cotton and nylon. This tape is designed to imitate the skin’s elasticity, so patients can maintain their full range of motion. As a medical-grade adhesive, kinesiology tape is water-resistant and durable enough to stay on for three to five days. When this tape is applied to the body, it recoils slightly and gently lifts the skin. This medical-grade tape helps create a microscopic space between the skin and the tissues underneath it. Kinesiotaping is used to create space in the joints, change signals on pain pathways, improve circulation of blood and fluids, treat injuries, support weak zones, re-educate muscles, enhance performance, and manage scars.

Kinesiotape, made with hypoallergenic acrylic glue, is manufactured to be the same weight, thickness, and elasticity as the skin and can integrate with the body’s sensory system naturally. Depending on the method of application and the therapeutic outcome desired, our physical therapy team can address three major health areas: structural therapy, neurological therapy, and circulatory therapy. Below, we’ve gone into further detail about how kinesiotape works in these significant health areas:

• Structural Therapy – Structurally, kinesiotape dynamically supports better postural positions and reduces strain on the affected muscle groups. It also prevents harmful ranges of motion without a “hard end” feel.

• Neurological Therapy – Neurologically, it promotes peripheral neuroplasticity, stimulates the internal pain relieving system of the skin, and enhances sensory stimulation that would otherwise fail to signal painful movements. Taping reinforces functional stability and restores normal muscle activation and function.
• Circulatory Therapy – In the microcirculatory system, kinesiotaping improves lymphatic flow and superficial microcirculatory flow, promoting better wave pattern formation in the body and addressing superficial fascial thixotropy or gentle muscle stretching.

The Benefits of Kinesiotaping

Kinesiotaping allows patients to reap a wide range of benefits. Not only does this tape allow the connective tissue surrounding the affected muscle, joint, or ligament to move along with the body, but it also allows the free flow of blood and lymphatic fluid. Additionally, kinesiotaping can improve circulation, support muscles, foster healing, and help prevent further muscle injury. The primary benefits of kinesiotaping include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Decreased pain
• Increased circulation
• Decreased inflammation
• Improved posture
• Improved muscle support
• Improved athletic performance
• Supported endogenous analgesic system

Kinesiotaping for Better Performance & Pain Management

Kinesiotaping impacts several areas of health and flexibility. To treat specific pain symptoms, kinesiotaping can be used for the following:

• Arthritis and bursitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Disc injuries
• Edema
• Improved athletic performance
• Muscle, joint, and ligament strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Post-op recovery
• Shin splints
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Swelling and sprains
• Tennis elbow