Tape it!
Sheree DiBIASE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 12 years, 8 months AGO
I know you have all seen it, that crazy colored tape that athletes all over the country are wearing. This summer you will see even more of it when you watch the Olympians in action. However, what maybe some of you didn't realize it's not just for athletes. In fact, we use it everyday in physical therapy to decrease pain and speed the healing process.
As you know your skin is not just a coat you wear, it is your body's largest organ. It has a well-organized sensory information system that can communicate quickly about the environment to the peripheral and central nervous systems. It is physically connected to the deeper structures via layers of fascia. (The fascia is the connective tissue you see when you peel the skin off a chicken breast.) The skin is the first layer of defense when there is any noxious/painful stimuli presented. The Ruffini, Pacinian corpuscles and Merkel disks are the first ones to respond to any changes in pressure and tension in the skin. When these changes happen the body responds by telling the sensory cortex of the brain that all is not well.
This is where the KINSIO TEX TAPE comes in to play. The tape provides stimulation at the skin level so inflammation can be reduced and functional pain free movement can be restored. It is amazing all the things this tape can accomplish. Who would believe a stretchy tape could do all this.
It accomplishes its task by the way it is applied. If you have twisted your ankle and you have bruising you can use the tape to whisk the fluid away. If you have a back spasm and can't get it to stop you can apply the tape to inhibit the firing of the muscles that are talking to you. And what about the tendonitis in your elbow or your Achilles tendon that keeps acting up? Well the tape works wonders to unload the tendon and assist the muscles. And you know that nagging shoulder pain that you just can't seem to put your finger on well we use Kinesiotex tape on that too.
So don't stop doing what you love to. Come into physical therapy and see if we can, tape it!
Sheree DiBiase, PT, and her staff can be reached at Lake City Physical Therapy (208) 667-1988. Kinesiotex taping is just one of the remarkable tools that physical therapists might use with you to insure that you have a great summer!
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