Observing spectators have long noticed that many athletes cover the body with strange colorful ribbons. It’s clear that this is not a decoration. So what is it? Why is this needed and who can help?
Effective non-drug method
Relatively recently, a unique method has appeared - kinesiotherapy. What it is? It seems to be easy to explain, but a lot of myths and misunderstandings suddenly appeared around the method. This is a non-pharmacological effect on damaged or overstressed muscle tissues with the help of a special tape - kinesiotape.
The name of the method was formed from two words: “kinesio” means movement and “tape” - actually the tape. Kinesiological taping allows you to relieve pain, but does not limit mobility, does not cause allergies, improves blood flow and lymph movement. With proper application, the muscles are able to work adequately and withstand intense loads, since part of the stress is taken over by kinesiotape.
What does kinesiotape look like
The tape patch has elasticity similar to human skin. It is made of a cotton base, on which an acrylic adhesive layer is applied. After application to the skin, body temperature activates the glue, allowing it to fix well on the surface. The cotton base is permeable to air and moisture. This allows you to leave tape tape for a long time (depending on the readings). Minimum teip is applied for a day, maximum - for 2 weeks. While using kinesiotape, the patient is free to move, relax or take a shower.
The medical industry produces various types of kinesiotape. This can be a tape of different widths and lengths or curly products.
Method History
In 1973, a Japanese physician living in America developed an interesting method - kinesiotherapy. What is this, he had to explain more than 10 years. The world premiere of the method took place only in 1988, at the Olympics in South Korea. The name of this doctor is Kenzo Kase. After the Olympics in Seoul, the method was rapidly gaining popularity, although there were not enough competent specialists.
Today, there are several international training centers that allow the use of therapeutic kinesiotherapy in many areas of medicine. In Europe, the largest centers are located in the Netherlands and Germany. This is where experts come from who are able to use kinesiotherapy in sports medicine, traumatology, orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics.
Residents of the CIS countries received wide access to the methodology only at the beginning of 2000. The method became popular not only among athletes, but there were certain problems with the official training of specialists. Since 2016, the problem of training specialists has been resolved. Kinesiotape training, according to the license of the Moscow Department of Education, is carried out in a specialized educational institution (Therapeutic Taping Academy). The general course takes 160 hours and consists of 10 seminars teaching to apply the technique in different fields of medicine.
Indications for use
When is kinesiotape applied? What it is? In fact, this is a modern method of physical rehabilitation, which is part of a set of recovery procedures after injuries or operations. The correct application of a teip patch allows you to get the following effects:
- relieve pain;
- stimulate the anti-inflammatory process;
- improve lymph drainage;
- facilitate the movement of limbs or joints;
- relax overworked muscles;
- eliminate swelling and bruising;
- gently stabilize the joints.
Teip begins to act immediately after application and can be held in one place for up to two weeks. Numerous studies show that the maximum effectiveness is expressed in the first 5-6 days. Then there is a gradual decrease in the therapeutic effect.
Who is shown kinesiotape
Many rehabilitation specialists claim that kinesiotherapy is quackery and there are no studies confirming the effectiveness of the method. However, since 1988 a huge evidence base has been accumulated in various fields of medicine. Work in this area has not been completed to date, evidence arrives with enviable regularity.
Today, we can definitely say that kinesioteiping has a positive effect:
- sprain;
- with subluxations of the ankles, shoulder, fingers;
- elimination of bruises and bruises;
- with pain in the shoulder (shoulder-shoulder arthritis);
- in the treatment of epicondylitis;
- with plantar fasciitis (calcaneal spur);
- with subluxations of the patella, pain in the knee and chondromalacia;
- in the treatment of pain in the neck;
- with pain in the lower back and swelling of the legs in pregnant women;
- with osteochondrosis;
- with lumbago and other diseases.
In addition, the method is effective in the treatment of functional disorders of motor skills (pediatrics), and in the postoperative period it serves to prevent the appearance of gross scars.
The difference between kinesiotape and hard taping
Hard taping can be combat (functional) or medical-immobilization. It is performed with a regular or elastic patch and serves to fix, lighten the load or limit mobility in the area of injury.
Kinesio taping (what it is - more and more rehabilitologists understand today) serves to maintain, and in some cases even increase, the mobility of damaged areas (limbs). A stretching tape (kinesiotape) takes on part of the load, lifts the skin, improving drainage of fluids, and supports the body, allowing you to use your own forces for rehabilitation.
Application Methods
Kinesiotape in Moscow, and in Russia as a whole, is becoming more popular every day. Teip correctly taught at specialized courses in America, Asia, Europe, and now, as already mentioned, in Moscow.
To explain in a simplified way, that is, there are 2 ways to apply kinesiotopes:
- An unstretched form of application is used when it is necessary to lift the skin and facilitate lymph drainage. Before application, the skin is stretched on the damaged area, and after sticking the teip, the skin and muscle returns to normal, lifting slightly.
- Stretched form of applique. In this case, kinesiotape is stretched, and after gluing it contracts, supporting the injured area. In this way, you can create additional pressure, stimulate nerve receptors and relieve pain.
Contraindications
Kinesiology taping is contraindicated in elderly patients, people with hypersensitivity to the skin and patients with systemic skin diseases.
And finally, a little about myths. There is an opinion that the color of teip speaks about its purpose: blue - relieves swelling, red - warms up, black - gives maximum tension. But this is not true. The color can be any, the effect of kineziotape depends on the method of application.