Suzhou Sunmed Co.,Ltd

If you have watched 2008 Beijing Olympics beach volley games, you probably have noticed one of the US female players, Kerri Wash’s right shoulder.  She was having something looks like a body art or tattoo on her right shoulder.  The color changes from game to game, from black to light blue with pink occasionally.  So, was she covering up a tattoo? Or that black tape is a tribute to someone?  

No, it is not a tattoo.  Kerri was not covering anything up either.  It is Kinesio Tape which was reportedly placed there to help her stabilize her right shoulder and reduce chances of having shoulder pain during the games.  She underwent shoulder surgery in fall 2007 due to injury caused by long hours of setting and spiking volley ball.  

Kinesio Tape is actually not a new invention.  For years, the tape and taping methods were mainly used by sports medicine doctors, physical therapists and chiropractors.  It was first developed 25 years ago by Dr. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese chiropractor who trained in the US.  In layman term, chiropractor is doctor who specializes in treating diseases by adjusting a person’s joints, especially those in the back.  Dr. Kenzo has also came out with the taping method called Kinesio Taping which is the way to apply the tapes correctly.  

Benefits of Kinesio Tape (As Claimed by the Company)
According to the manufacturer, Kinesio Tape provides the following benefits:   

• Corrects muscle function by strengthening weakened muscles
• Improves circulation of blood and lymph by eliminating tissue fluid or bleeding beneath the skin by moving the muscle
• Reduce pain and inflammation through neurological suppression
• Stabilize joints
• Relax overused tired muscles

The company also mentioned that Kinesio Tape is effective in relieving:   

• Arthritis
• Carpel tunnel (median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand)
• Plantar fasciitis (painful foot condition caused by inflammation of the tissue along the bottom of foot that connects heel bone to toes)
• Shoulder pain

Whether those claims are true or not, I will elaborate later.   

How Kinesio Tape Works (As Claimed by the Company)
According to the company, when taped over the edges of a particular muscle, tendon, or ligament, “the tape alleviates pain and facilitates lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin. The taped portion forms convolutions in the skin, thus increasing interstitial space. The result is that pressure and irritation are taken off the neural and sensory receptors, alleviating pain. Pressure is gradually taken off the lymphatic system, allowing it to channel more freely.”   

To me, those words sound so complicated for medically uneducated folks, including me.   

Few Other Important Facts About Kinesio Tape and Kinesio Taping:   

1. The super thin tape itself is an elastic tape that comes in different widths, colors and types.
2. It is cut into different shapes and applied to slightly stretched skin from one end of the muscle to the other. The effective of Kinesio Tape highly depends on the placement and technique. So, do not expect you will see the result if you just simply stuck the tape to your muscles       
3. It is non-restrictive taping method as compared to heavy strapping.  This taping technique allows free range of motion and therefore allow the body’s own muscular system to heal itself bio-mechanically.  From the theoretical stand point, this point makes sense.  When your sore muscles are supported, you will heal faster.
4. This elastic tape has an elasticity of 130 to 140 percent of its original length so that the muscles still can have free range of motion.
5. The tape can stay on the skin for 3 to 5 days before it needs to be replaced.  In other words, you can having shower or dipping into swimming pool with it.  The tape is made of a porous cotton fabric that allows the kin under the tape to breathe and be cleaned while showering.
6. The variety of colors actually designed for fashion purpose and not any indication of the quality of the tape.
7. The tape does not contain latex which can be used for people with latex allergies.

In addition to beach volley ball player Kerri Wash, other top athletes such as Lance Armstrong (cycling), Serena Williams (tennis), David Beckham (soccer), Tiger Woods (golf) and Robby Ginepri (tennis) were seen using Kinesio Tape. In fact, in Lance Armstrong’s book “Every Second Counts”, he refers to Kinesio as “Something better than any laser, wrap, or electric massager.

 by Ginepri

 David Beckham

Serena William

Now, is Kinesio Tape really that effective as claimed by the company?  Is it just another gimmick to sell Kinesio as a legitimate therapeutic product? 

I have found two studies, both published in year 2008.  The first study, done by Dr Mark Thelen mentioned that Kinesio Tape does help to alleviate pain and improving muscle strength, though the improvement is at minimal level.  Patients with shoulder injuries have experienced the effect immediately after the application of the tape.  However, the other research conducted by Dr Tieh-Cheng Fu, revealed that the tape had no effect on muscle strength when it is applied to the thigh. 

In short, one study showed that Kinesio tape has small effect whereas the other does not think so. While studies like those are good, but we should not over interpreting the result.  We need more quality research being done on Kinesio tape to give a solid conclusion about its effectiveness.  At this time, research using Kinesio tape does not support the many claims made by its advocates. 

 So, should you or shouldn’t you use Kinesio tape then? We all are very susceptible to placebo effect, including top athletes.  If we think this tape work, we will believe that it actually does.  Sometimes, performance is improved significantly with this belief.  This is the placebo effect, even though in real life the tape may not provide any scientific advantages.

By sponsoring Kerri Walsh’s Kinesio tapes in Beijing Summer Olympics 2008, the Kinesio company has started to see the result.  The company has more than 1,600 online orders compared to the usual 250 orders it usually receives monthly.  It is indeed a very good strategy.  Previously, athletics made up only 10 percent of its business.  Its largest market was pediatrics used for children suffering from neurological disorders.  Now, it has successfully maximized an untapped market for its tape by targeting athletes.  Clearly a good case study of Blue Ocean strategy.I guess I will see more beach volley players spotting the black spider web look alike Kinesio tape in near future.  If you want to give Kinesio Tape a try, check it out at http://www.szsunmed.com/. 

With a specific method of applying tape, chiropractors are providing drug free pain relief that lasts long after the patient has left the office. The practice, called kinesio taping, triggers the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Specialized tape mimics the properties of skin in thickness and elasticity. Small pieces applied to an injured or overworked muscle or joint, provide enough pressure for support, along with a micro lift of the skin for the circulation of naturally healing blood and lymph fluid.
This newest of chiropractic techniques is one of the most effective non-surgical soft tissue treatments used today. It dates back to the 1970’s in Japan, when Dr. Kenzo Kase saw the need for instant drug free pain relief and faster healing. This method has since been used all around the world. Kinesio Taping even played a role in the recent Olympics games, where athletes competed with the mysterious pieces of colored tape applied to their arms and legs.
This unique taping method, used alongside more common chiropractic techniques, is also a part of the treatment plan in offices of orthopedists, acupuncturists, and other medical professionals. Practitioners are certified by the kinesio tape Association after successful completion of three levels of coursework along with practical application.
The specialized elastic cotton tape provides both long-term and immediate drug free pain relief. Wearing the tape comfortably for several days, patients say they forget it’s there. A well-received addition to chiropractic techniques, it has proven effective for many injuries including: neck, back, knee, shoulder, rotator cuff, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, ankle sprains, and post surgical swelling.

One specific application that this kinesio tape appears to be highly suited for is as a kinesio tape used to secure ostomy pouches to the skin. Ostomies are located on the abdomen, and therefore, require a kinesio tape that will both conform to the abdominal contours and move (or stretch) with the skin as the skin moves. Further, the kinesio tape used on ostomy pouches must be fastened to the pouch film in some manner, often by heat sealing the film and kinesio tape layers together. The kinesio tape of the present invention can be directly sealed to typical ostomy pouch films and do not require an additional layer to form a seal to the pouch. The present kinesio tape constructions can be sterilized by gamma irradiation, with no loss to or only minimal effect on kinesio tape properties. This feature is a highly desirable attribute of medical kinesio tape and specifically kinesio tape used to secure ostomy pouches to the peristomal region immediately after surgery.

When Dr. Kenzo Kase invented the kinesio tape and the kinesio taping method in 1973, he has all the principles of kinesiology in mind. Other taping methods or techniques does not really conform to kinesiology’s principles so Dr. Kase strived to overcome this and was eventually able to develop the revolutionary kinesio tape.

What can the kinesio tape do? What’s so special about it?

 The kinesio tape in first aid kit is now really popular among a lot of people, especially athletes, both professional and amateur, since they are the ones always prone to muscular injuries. They greatly appreciate the unique sports tape that they are able to get from it which they can never get from traditional taping methods. For one, the kinesio tape is ideal to use because it promotes movement and not inhibits it, unlike traditional ones which inhibits movement and is slightly uncomfortable since it does not promote circulation. The kinesio tape is also very economical since it can be used up to 5 days without needing to have it changed and a standard roll can be used up to ten (10) applications. It is also more practical to use since it is water-resistant, has almost the same consistency as that of normal human skin, is made of one hundred percent cotton, and Is latex-free. Not only that, it is heat-sensitive and acrylic-adhesive. It is also elastic, and can expand up to about 30-40 percent of its actual size. The kinesio tape comes in different shapes to be able to cover different areas since the principle behind it recognizes the differences in the types of injuries and the areas affected. There are seminars, books, and DVDs about the kinesio taping method that discusses thoroughly the different shapes and the best places to apply them on.

The kinesio tape has changed the way people perceive taping methods to be. As long as it is existing, it will surely make muscular injuries seem like a walk In the park.

The traditional tapes used in the world of sports needs to be re- applied after every three-four hours. Contrary to this, kinesio tape lasts for three to five days on the skin. This tape works wonderfully when applied on inflamed part of the body. It quickly reduces and swelling and also lessen the pain in the injured body part. It reduces the level of discomfort within a short time.
kinesio tape should be applied over and around the injured muscles so as to give them proper support and to avert over-contraction. It relieves the pain by targeting the source of the pain. It is advisable to apply it in ‘I’ strips in shapes like that of ‘X’ or ‘Y’. It gives extra effect and stability to the tape. In case of muscle facilitation, apply the tape from beginning of the muscle to its end. It helps in stimulating the underused muscles.
The healing effect of Kinesio Tape in first aid kit is far much alluring than its working phenomenon. Athletes from all over the world count on this tape to get their injuries recovered as soon as possible and re-gain the strength of their injured tissues. The tape has well lived to the expectations of the medical advisors of the athletes and continues to be a wonderful thing. It is quite common no days to use this tape to heal the injury and decrease the pain when the athlete has a tough challenge to face.
Kinesiology is the science of human movement and focuses on how the body functions and moves in harmony, like a well-oiled machine. Kinesiology is all about making sure that the body functions well. It involves applying all the underlying principles that is related to movement, rehabilitation, and therapy, whose sole purpose is to prevent any obstruction to the harmony of the body’s different parts to be able to enhance movement and the overall function of the body in all aspects or areas of life, particularly those related to strenuous activities like labor and sports.

Kinesio Tape is one of the efficient ways of curing athletes after having muscular or skeletal injuries. Athletes are prone to get shin splints at some or the other stage of their training. These are quite irritating and painful. Most commonly used re-habilitation techniques include applying ice, aloe juice or strapping on the injured part. But none of them works as well as Kinesio Tape. This tape augments the healing process by re-educating the numero-muscular system. The performance level of the athlete is also increased as it stimulates the lymphatic flow.

Presently, Kinesio Tape or Kinesio taping is known to be the most versatile object of medical utility in sports arena. It is specially fabricated for long-term use and maintains an admissible damage control of the injured area. Kinesio Tape is made up of natural cotton fiber and it allows the skin to breathe properly. It allows for adequate sweat and air circulation at skin. Hence, it doesn’t retains any amount of moisture from the skin Kinesio Tape is very easy to use and the best part is that it is latex-free. The adhesive used in this tape has been tested medically and is not allergic. It is very much skin friendly and doesn’t cause any type of irritation on skin. The elasticity of this tape makes it adaptive to body shape and it could be directly applied to the injured part. The user will feel totally comfortable while wearing it, as it doesn’t hinders with bodily movements. It could be effectively applied to any body part like shoulders, lower back, elbows, joints and so on.