This week I was asked "what is Kinesiology tape?" by one of my clients.
I recently got my level one certification in SpiderTech (YAY) and I've been taping everyone I can get my hands on. I figured I would go right to the source and ask one of the amazing instructors from my seminar about Kinesiology tape and what it can do.
Enter Christopher J. Nentarz PT, CSTS, NASM-PES, CSTI from Spider TechPlease tell us a bit about yourself and what it is you do:
By trade, I am a Physical Therapist, Performance Specialist and Educator with over 10 years experience working with elite and professional athletes. My passion lies in enhancing the lives of others through physical performance, education and mindset. While I specialize in the optimization of neuromuscular function, including assessing and correcting movement based dysfunctions, I feel the most important aspect of my life is my 3 children, Arianna Rae, Kyla Jae and Myleigh Mae. At this moment I am fortunate, as my current schedule allows me to be a 'stay at home' dad for at least a few days a week. That being said, I seem to work harder on those days!
How would you define Kinesiology tape?:
I have been utilizing kinesiology taping for the past 5 or 6 years, but Kinesiology taping has been around for almost 30 years. Kinesiology taping primarily works on a neurosensory level to help normalize the alterations in neuromuscular control after an injury through sensory and neuroplastic mechanisms. In essence, the enhanced afferent stimulation of A-Beta fibers provided by the tape on the skin disrupts and diminishes the ascending signals of pain through sensory gating mechanisms. This disrupts the inhibitory effect pain has on muscle function, leading to restored muscle activation. When Kinesiology tape is applied in a neurosensory manor, the net result is a decrease in the sensation of pain along with normalizing the neural drive in the involved muscles. This helps improve the recruitment patterns of the muscles controlling joint function, providing functional joint stability to the structures in question. Due to the dynamic stretch capabilities of the tape, it does not impede any ranges of motion while it supports enhanced muscle activation.
Prior to applying Kinesiology tape, it is best to assess patients or clients through a systematic movement sequence and movement challenges. Movement sequences give us a perspective on the big picture of movement quality and overall kinetic chain linking, while movement challenges refines gross motions into smaller patterns and identifies local tissues that can be flagged for intervention. Our treatment is only as good as our assessment.
What are some of the unconventional ways you have been able to use taping?:
I have utilized kinesiology tape on a large spectrum of patients, from Superbowl MVP's to patients with severe degenerative conditions. Most of the time, I treat body parts or patterns that are far from the pain source. A clinical example of this can be seen in the utilization of a calf/arch spider and pre-cut "y strip" used to improve the loading of the mid-foot to treat hip pain associated with a labral tear. In this instance, improving the loading pattern of the foot will help the proximal muscles of the hip do the right thing at the right time, improving the joint centration of the femur on pelvis.
Anything else you would like to add?:
The bottom line is kinesiology taping is kinesiology taping is a vital tool to correct and optimize movement mechanics. When utilized with proper assessment and integrated treatment methods, such as soft tissue therapy and corrective exercises, Kinesiology tape can be a game changer in a multitude of environments.
I'd like to thank Chris for taking the time to help us understand Kinesiology tape a bit more. If you're interested in getting even more info on Kinesiology tape check the online course SpiderTech offers here (heads up video starts with sound on!)
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