What is Kinesio tape?
Chiropractor Kevin Kelly is a certificated Kinesio taping practitioner.
Introduction
Dr. Kenzo Kase, founder of the Kinesio Taping method received his Doctorate of Chiropractic (D Chiro) from the National College of Chiropractics.
He runs a practice in the United States. Through Dr Kase”s clinical experience he found that joint pain resulted from the abnormality of muscles and myo-fascial tissues around the joint rather than from the joint itself.
With this understanding, he developed and introduced Kinesio Taping in the 70″s to correct abnormalities of muscles and myo-fascial tissues.
The consequent kinesiology taping practice should be regarded more as a “therapy” or “methodology” than a taping technique.
4 Major Functions and Effects of Kinesiology Taping
To normalise muscle functio
To improve lymphatic and blood flow
To reduce and manage pain
To correct the misalignment of joints and tissues
The Tape
The thickness of the tape is the same as that of the skin epidermis
The capacity of tape to stretch to 130 -140% is similar to elasticity of the skin
The high-quality, 100% cotton material is covered with a layer of acrylic glue
The combination of tape material and sine wave glue application allows the release of sweat and permits skin respiration
The tape is applied to the backing paper with approximately 25% stretch
Irritation of the skin has not been reported.
The tape can work for more than 4 or 5 days
Kinesiology Tape allows the normalisation of both over-stretched and over-contracted muscles; it also promotes the flow of lymphatic fluids and blood.
Differences:Traditional Athletic Taping vs Kinesiology
Traditional Athletic Taping Kinesiology Taping
Sports Taping is a mechanical methodology
Kinesiology Taping is a sensory methodology
Sports Taping is for functional immobilisation
Kinesiology Taping therapy offers potential of restoring full range of movement
Sports taping methods aim to protect muscles
Kinesiology Taping methods seek to normalise muscle function
Immobilisation created through sports taping therapy can inhibit blood circulation
Kinesiology Taping therapy can improve blood circulation.
Information provided by Levotape©
Shoulder – Rotator cuff injuries
Common injuries which can be treated effectively.
The rotator cuff (four muscles in total) is also the primary support structure for the shoulder. Therefore, even minor 
dysfunction associated with these muscles can create significant pain and disability including shoulder pain, arm weakness, and decreased athletic performance. When a rotator cuff injury becomes severe enough to irritate the many nerves that pass through the shoulder joint it is called a Rotator Cuff Impingement. The symptoms associated with an impingement are often more severe and can include numbness, tingling and shooting pain in the arm or hand A Rotator Cuff problem can be caused by many everyday activities. These activities include traumatic events (e.g. fall on an outstretched arm, “yanking” of the arm), repetitive motions (e.g. throwing a ball, weightlifting, swimming) and chronic, improper postures (e.g. operating a computer, driving). My shoulder really hurts. What did I do wrong? Where did this soreness come from? Will my shoulder ever feel good again?” Your rotator cuff may be injured, but it can heal. The rotator cuff muscles and tendons attach upper arm to your shoulder blade. Your rotator cuff helps you use your arm to: reach, throw, push, pull, and lift. Without it, your shoulder would be nearly useless.
Why Your Shoulder Hurts
Your shoulder probably hurts because your rotator cuff tendons are swollen and or injured. This could be caused by a
number of factors. Perhaps you fell on your shoulder or strained it by doing too much reaching or lifting. Maybe you threw one too many balls. Or maybe you twisted your shoulder during an exercise class. Even such things as working in the yard or cleaning a closet could have triggered your pain. And the older you get, the weaker your muscles and tendons become. This means they are more easily injured.
Is the pain affecting with your life?
A rotator cuff injury can make everyday activities painful. Does your shoulder hurt during or after movements like the ones below? Does it hurt too much to do these things at all? Use this checklist to help assess your pain. Be sure to tell your Chiropractor about any ongoing pain.
Reaching Overhead
Scratching your mid-back
Throwing a ball overhand
Raising your arm
Sleeping on your shoulder
Carrying shopping or a suitcase
Whether you have surgery or not, your ideal recovery depends on restoring your shoulder’s function. Your Chiropractor will be able to mobilise your shoulder to help to restore the normal function and also do soft tissue therapy and fascial release work on the injured muscles. To build and maintain flexibility and strength, you need to exercise your rotator cuff muscles during recovery and in the future. Your Chiropractor will tell you which exercises you need to do. You’ll also be told how often to do them and where to get tubing or hand weights.
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Does anyone have Joint pain in the winter?
Any arthritis sufferers out there? if there are then you will probably be used to having more pain in your joints over the winter months, and not just because of playing on your grandsons Wii or overdoing it on the dance floor after too many Xmas drinks!
Cold weather increases joint pain and those arthritis sufferers travelling to warmer climates in the winter spend relatively pain free fortnight’s in the sun ….only to have the debilitating pain return less 12 hours of landing in the UK, it’s pretty chilly in europe too at the moment - David Cameron found that out this week ……………but that’s another story.
Damp weather/rain also increases joint pain why does this occur? ” it soaks through to your bones” as my grandmother used to say……. as the skin is waterproof and we don’t dissolve like snow men in the rain I discounted this theory at a very early age.
It’s all to do with pressure changes the suspect most often singled out by arthritis sufferers and researchers is a drop in barometric pressure, this occurs in cold and wet weather and is a reduction in the pressure exerted by the air around us. A drop in barometric pressure often precedes a storm, and the theory goes that a decrease in the air pressure can cause the tissues around the joints to swell, causing arthritic pain. Proponents of the idea use a balloon in a barometric chamber as a simulator. If the pressure outside drops, the air in the balloon expands. If the same happened in the area around an arthritic joint, the expansion or swelling could cause pressure/irritate the nerves, causing pain.
Heat influences blood flow and viscosity of fluids and body tissues, in the same way that cooking oil becomes more viscous in the cold our tissues and the fluid in our peripheral areas (central core areas are not affected as the bodies core temperature stays stable) becomes more viscous in the cold, the elasticity of muscles decreases because of greater viscosity, this tightness and increased viscosity of tissues may also increase pain.
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