Kinesiotape – Rehab For Super Athletes

You may have wondered what all the multicoloured tape plastered to the shoulders, legs and backs of a multitude of athletes is for. It’s called kinesiotape (or K tape) and although made famous during the 2012 Olympics, it was originally invented way back in the 1970s for sumo wrestlers. It’s now worn by super athletes including David Beckham and Serena Williams, and even the top beach volleyball players.

Kinesiotape is used for injury rehabilitation and performance enhancement and it works wonders. It can be used before, during and after sports, and can be worn for up to five days without harming the skin. It’s even latex free, so it’s hypoallergenic.

Dr Kenzo Kase originally came up with the design because he found that traditional taping techniques were sometimes too restrictive. Kinesiotape is light and elastic compared to standard tape. Its great advantage is that it allows the free flow of blood and lymphatic vessels under the skin, while still providing excellent muscle and joint support. This means that it allows many types of injury to heal more quickly – and this is what we routinely see at Backs and Beyond.

So what do we use it for? Everything from hamstring strains and plantar fasciitis to tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as certain types of lower back pain. For some conditions we can even teach you how to apply it yourself. So please do ask us about it next time you’re at the practice.

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