Kinesiology Tape...an appropriate Treatment Choice?

Kinesiology Tape...an appropriate Treatment Choice?


Kinesiology tape (KT) is an elastic tape that was designed by a chiropractor to help muscles, improve neurological control of an area, reduce local pain and improve circulation.  You may have seen colorful varieties of KT on Olympic volleyball players and other athletes. KT is quite different from athletic tape in that athletic tape is designed to restrict or prevent movement where applied, while KT's elastic property allows movement.  


Due to the lack of conclusive research, I can only share personal observations.  As a health care provider, I have witnessed significant improvement in swelling, inflammation and bruising in areas of injury when KT has been applied.  Until this past weekend, I had never used KT on myself.

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This is my story

On Saturday, I developed shoulder pain that got worse throughout the day; this was very concerning, as I had committed to a big climbing trip on Sunday.  The pain may have been due to climbing on Friday (not sure of the cause).  The pain was, sharply, increased with certain motions and I could feel, with my other hand, mild swelling in the muscles of the front and side of my shoulder.  With concerns about being capable of participating in the trip, I decided to self-treat starting early Sunday morning (4:30 AM).
I have a massage cane at home; so, I did some trigger point manual therapy and some pin and stretch techniques  to associated shoulder muscles (basically, just like the kind of work I do to my patients).

This helped a little, but my symptoms lingered.  On my way to meet my climbing partner (5:45 AM), I swung into the clinic and applied KT to my shoulder.  By 11 AM, we had hiked in to the base of the mountain; my shoulder felt a lot better with only mild twinges of pain as I organized gear preparing for the climb.  As I started up the climb, I was still very concerned about how my shoulder was going to hold up to several hours of vertical climbing with heavy demands for my shoulder.


To my delight, I did not experience another moment of pain, not during the climb or since.  Was it the hanging/distraction motion on my shoulder during the climb that caused improvement?  I doubt it.  Was it the manual therapy, the kinesiology tape or a combination of the two that provided my relief?  No way to tell for sure; but, I wouldn't hesitate to try KT, again, for myself, and, depending on the patient's condition, I will recommend using KT to treat patients.



At Gallatin Valley Chiropractic, we provide therapy for all muscles and joints of the body and we provide and apply KT to help you to heal and to accomplish your ambitions.  Talk to your doctor to find out if Kinesiology Tape might be an appropriate treatment choice for you.  406-551-2177

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