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Does Kinesio taping work?

Discussion in 'Biomechanics, Sports and Foot orthoses' started by NewsBot, May 23, 2012.

  1. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1

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    Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness.
    Williams S, Whatman C, Hume PA, Sheerin K.
    Sports Med. 2012 Feb 1;42(2):153-64.
     
  2. Griff

    Griff Moderator

    I use Kinesiotape on a daily basis now. Initially sceptical, particularly in light of the lack of good evidence in the literature, but I have been amazed at some of the results I've had.

    I have to say that not all kinesiotape brands are equal when it comes to the foot and ankle application in my opinion - I've found Rocktape is far superior to the others.

    The pathology I have had some of the best and most astounding results with (believe it or not) is the symptomatic HAV. As far as anecdotal evidence is concerned, in the last few weeks I have taped 7 patients bunions, and 6 of them absolutely loved it (one of which reported he could play 5-a-side football without pain the following morning for the first time in years). The one patient who didn't like it took it off as she experienced a cramp like sensation in Abductor Hallucis.

    {ADMIN NOTE: This post has been copied to Kinesio Taping For Bunions}
     
  3. Admin2

    Admin2 Administrator Staff Member

  4. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
  5. Griff

    Griff Moderator

  6. RobinP

    RobinP Well-Known Member

    Judging by the amount of Kinesio tape flying around at the Olympics, you would think that it was the new penecillin
     
  7. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
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  8. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Amazes me that people carry on about the clinical results of kinesio-tape but other more proven clinical endeavors they shun?
     
  9. wdd

    wdd Well-Known Member

    The effects of kinesio tape are massively enhanced if you get the colour right.

    Who needs the flimsy proof of science when you can feel it in your waters?

    Bill
     
  10. This article may explain some of the perceived "therapeutic effects" from Kinesio tape.

     
  11. I've probably said this before, but its worth putting out there again in the hope that someone might follow-up on it. Some years ago we performed a study in which we treated patients who presented with plantar fasciitis with prefabricated foot orthoses. Half of the subjects got the devices in green- a colour associated with health; half of the subjects got the same devices but coloured black- a colour associated with death and decay. As it turned out, we didn't get enough subjects as this was an undergraduate study, yet there was a clear trend for those with the green orthoses to improve in terms of their visual analogue pain scores more than those who received the black devices.
     
  12. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Immediate Effect of Kinesio Taping on Muscle Response in Young Elite Soccer Players
    Moisés De Hoyo; Alejandro Álvarez-Mesa; Borja Sañudo; Luis Carrasco, Sergio Domínguez
    Journal of Sports Rehabilitation (in press)
     
  13. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    The effectiveness of kinesiotaping in treatment of the soft tissue injuries in adolescent football players.
    Ostiak, W.; Peretiatkowicz, A.; Krystkowiak, I.
    Postepy Nauk Medycznych 2012 Vol. 25 No. 6 pp. 501-507
     
  14. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    LOWER-LEG KINESIO® TAPE APPLICATION REDUCES RATE OF LOADING IN SUBJECTS WITH MEDIAL TIBIAL STRESS SYNDROME
    Maggie Carson Griebert
    Honors Thesis; University of Delware 2012 (PDF file)
     
  15. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
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    The clinical effects of Kinesio(®) Tex taping: A systematic review.
    Morris D, Jones D, Ryan H, Ryan CG.
    Physiother Theory Pract. 2012 Oct 22
     
  16. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Neuromuscular dressing effects: a literature review
    Calero PA ; Cañón GA
    Revista Ciencias de la Salud. 10(2)273-284; 2012
     
  17. markjohconley

    markjohconley Well-Known Member

    At a 'mini'- seminar recently, the local representative, an exercise physiologist, stated that 'lifting the fascia apart' may be the mechanism.
    If the fascia are parallel to the skin surface / KT than a force vector must be perpendicular to 'lift' the fascia. How would KT tape, in parallel with the fascia, apply a perpendicular force vector?
     
  18. Griff

    Griff Moderator

    G'day Mark

    The way I have heard this explained (and that is not to say I subscribe to the theory) is that if you apply the tape with tension/stretch then it will try to gather itself once in situ and in turn 'lift' the skin/fascial layers. A simplified way of visualising this is to put a tight t-shirt on, apply some tape to it with 80% stretch and then see what it does to the t-shirt.

    Some more general reading and a pdf which may be worth downloading for you if of interest can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/106171331/2/Space-Co-rrection
     
  19. wdd

    wdd Well-Known Member

    I'll go along with that Ian.

    If your t-short is suffering from a sports related injury Kinesio tape will cure it every time.

    I've even had great results with a badly stretched sock.

    The potential of Kinesio tape is unlimited.

    Buy, Buy.

    Bye Bye.

    Bill
     
  20. markjohconley

    markjohconley Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the article. I suggested this may be a reason but he was adamant there is no stretch when applying KT, "that's why it wrinkles".
    The tape 'gathers itself' in the 'path of least resistance', which would be away from the skin?
     
  21. Sounds like BS to me especially since the tape can offer virtually no resistance to bending moments, which would be required of a material adhered to the skin to offer such a mechanical action on the subcutaneous fascia.
     
  22. markjohconley

    markjohconley Well-Known Member

    Thanks Kevin, I assume you give me permission to quote you, Mark
     
  23. Yes, Mark, you can quote me on that one. That is pure balderdash, if you ask me.
     
  24. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
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    Kinesio Taping and the Circulation and Endurance Ratio of the Gastrocnemius Muscle
    Stedge, Hannah L.; Kroskie, Ryan M.; Docherty, Carrie L.
    Journal of Athletic Training, Volume 47, Number 6, November 2012 , pp. 635-642(8)
     
  25. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    A systematic review of the effectiveness of kinesio taping for musculoskeletal injury.
    Mostafavifar M, Wertz J, Borchers J.
    Phys Sportsmed. 2012 Nov;40(4):33-40. doi: 10.3810/psm.2012.11.1986.
     
  26. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    A randomized controlled trial of a mixed Kinesio taping–compression technique on venous symptoms, pain, peripheral venous flow, clinical severity and overall health status in postmenopausal women with chronic venous insufficiency
    Mª Encarnación Aguilar-Ferrándiz et al
    Clin Rehabil February 20, 2013 0269215512469120
     
  27. wdd

    wdd Well-Known Member

    With access to the complete text for the above abstract all might be answered but what are: gastrocnemius muscle enhancement" and "simulated Kinesio taping"?

    Bill
     
  28. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    The Effect of Kinesio Taping on Static Balance, Proprioception, and Maximum Strength of Lower Limb in Children
    Ching-hui Huang; Master's Thesis
     
  29. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Effect of Kinesio Taping on Jumping and Balance in Athletes: A Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Trial
    Nunes, Guilherme S; de Noronha, Marcos; Cunha, Helder Souza; Ruschel, Caroline; Borges, Noé G. Jr
    Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: 22 February 2013
     
  30. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
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    The Acute Effects of Kinesio Tape™ On Athletic Performance in Healthy Individuals
    Kara F. Solomon, Scott P. McLean, Jimmy Smith
    IJESAB > Vol. 2 > Iss. 5 (2013)
     
  31. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Kinesio Tape - another vibram waiting to happen?
     
  32. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    A systematic review of the effectiveness of kinesio taping for musculoskeletal injury.
    Mostafavifar M, Wertz J, Borchers J.
    Phys Sportsmed. 2012 Nov;40(4):33-40.
     
  33. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    A systematic review of the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping® - Fact or fashion?
    Kalron A, Bar-Sela S
    European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine [2013]
     
  34. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    The Effect of Kinesiotaping on Functional Performance in Chronic Ankle Instability - Preliminary Study
    Hettle D, Linton L, Baker JS, Donoghue O
    Clin Res Foot Ankle 1:105. 2013
     
  35. Ideology

    Ideology Active Member

    Seems like those studies that address the specific claims say it does nothing, then there are other studies looking for something for the tape to do. In the bin with homeopathy!
     
  36. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Kinesio taping and the circulation and endurance ratio of the gastrocnemius muscle.
    Stedge HL, Kroskie RM, Docherty CL.
    J Athl Train. 2012;47(6):635-42.
     
  37. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
  38. wdd

    wdd Well-Known Member

    It's now time for the maker/owners of KT to change something, anything about their tape or about the rationale behind using it.

    For example they could:
    change the colours, eg pastel shades;
    add coloured patterns to the tape;
    make the tape ribbed;
    have differential stretch in the tape;
    vary the width of the tape, possibly giving the edge a pleasant curve. Even better if this only happens when the tape is stretched;
    develop the colour 'theory', eg different colours for different conditions,sites, left and right, upper and lower, male/female, sport, age, performance level. The longer they make this list the better as it gives more excuses if the effect is less than hoped for, ie you used the wrong tape.
    think more carefully about the wording of their claims focusing more on weasel words and phrases.

    But no matter what, they need to simply do something different and now, if only to throw the posse off the scent and more importantly to keep the wolf from the door.

    One thing they must never do is any research in which another tape is used as placebo that is, unless they can develop the tape themselves. In which case there are two (possibly nearer two thousand) options. Option one is construct the placebo tape from say wood or wood incorporating broken glass to ensure that KT shines in comparison or to compare the old tape (suitably doctored, eg reduced adhesion, colour fading, lack of elasticity, fraying at the edges, etc) with the new enhanced version possibly incorporating some of the 'advancements' suggested above.

    With a bit of effort KT can keep the world on its toes for at least another thirty years.

    Bill
     
  39. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Effect of Kinesio Tape Application on Calf Pain and Ankle Range of Motion in Duathletes
    Rafael Merino-Marban Daniel Mayorga-Vega, Emilio Fernandez-Rodriguez
    Journal of Human Kinetics. Volume 37, Issue 1, Pages 129–135, July 2013
     
  40. Buffalo Bill

    Buffalo Bill Member

    "elastic tapes with an elasticity of 130-140% of its original length are recommended for Kinesio Taping... that aims to give free range of motion in order to allow the body's muscular system to heal itself bio-mechanically... corrects joint misalignment..."
    How?
     
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