Does kinesiology tape do anything, and if so- what does it do??

We often use kinesio tape to help decrease swelling after an acute injury or surgery. We use kinesio tape to help decrease pain, and we use kinesio tape to correct joint position.

Kinesio tape can help decrease pain. Skin is the largest organ in the body. Just by applying tape to the skin, you will block some of the pain stimulus to the brain. The science: Tape on the skin will interrupt the neural signals responsible for pain within the central nervous system. With the disruption of painful afferent signals from A-delta and C-fibers to the CNS, the muscles affected are capable of normal activation because they are no longer inhibited by the signal of pain.

Kinesio tape can help decrease swelling. The tape is elastic and will help the flow of fluid and relieve lymphatic congestion. The Science: The application of the tape creates convulutions or waves on the skin which will improve the micro-circulatory flow at the subdermal level.

Kinesio tape can be used to provide structural support or correct a joint position. The science: The tape can be applied in a variety of ways that can support better static and dynamic posture and protect potentially harmful ranges of motion from further exacerbating painful conditions.