I am a Master Equine Body Worker, certified by Equinology, and I am a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic. I specialize in treating the horse and the rider as a team, often treating both together. www.elementalequineservices.webs.com
Friday, May 18, 2012
Musings on chiropractic and equine bodywork: An Introduction to Kinesiotape
Musings on chiropractic and equine bodywork: An Introduction to Kinesiotape: In recent years, there seems to be many professional athletes sporting brightly colored tape on various parts of their body, in all conf...
An Introduction to Kinesiotape
In recent years, there seems to be
many professional athletes sporting brightly colored tape on various parts of
their body, in all configurations. This
method of using tape to treat almost any condition seems to be exploding in
popularity. However, does it have uses
for those of us, shall we say, less athletic regular people? Yes!!
Kinesio tape has been used to treat anything from low back pain to
carpal tunnel syndrome to digestion upsets in patients of all ages and sizes.
As stated in the Kinesio Taping Association
International KT1 Kinesio taping method book, “Kinesio Tex Tape was first
developed and utilized by Dr. Kenzo Kase.”
The tape is a cotton and elastic tape that is designed to mimic the
inherent properties of human skin. The
tape is applied to an area of the body in a very specific way, and then is left
on the patient for three to six days for maximum therapeutic benefit. Most people do not notice that the tape is
even there anymore after a few minutes of wearing it, and can go about their
regular activities (including bathing and swimming). The tape is latex free, using natural plant
dyes to color it.
Patients often complain of the
chiropractic adjustment “not holding” as long as they would like, especially in
the early stages of care or after an acute injury to the area. Kinesio tape is a great way to continue
stimulating the proprioceptors in that particular area between adjustments, as
this method of care can provide effective neuromuscular retraining and overall
support for the area. There are also
many advanced taping techniques for care of an acute injury, or to stimulate
lymphatic’s, or for chronic conditions that need additional support. The compressive forces of the tape also help
to reduce inflammation, in some cases.
The tape comes in four colors. The colors do not change the treatment in any
way! However, the pink tape is thought
to draw energy, so it is mostly used to “turn on” or facilitate a muscles that
needs to be strengthened. The blue tape
is meant to be cooling, so this is used for acute, inflamed tissues that need
to be calmed down and relaxed. The black
tape is warming, so this is great for any chronic condition or for athletes
using it to enhance their performance.
Finally the beige or neutral tape is best for those people who don’t
want to have tape on their bodies in bright colors! The neutral colored tape is especially great
for anywhere very noticeable on the body, or for someone who works in an office
with a strict dress code. All four types
of tape are identically made, with only the color of dye being a different
factor. They are all hypoallergenic as
well.
Kinesiotape has been successfully used to treat many conditions, ranging from shoulder pain to headaches to low back pain and plantar fasciitis. It has also been used very successfully on very small children and on animals. If you are interested in how Kinesiotape can be added to your chiropractic care plan, please do not hesitate to ask us.
Kinesiotape has been successfully used to treat many conditions, ranging from shoulder pain to headaches to low back pain and plantar fasciitis. It has also been used very successfully on very small children and on animals. If you are interested in how Kinesiotape can be added to your chiropractic care plan, please do not hesitate to ask us.
When I next have time, I will expand on using
Kinesiotape on horses, as well as rider-specific uses. Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
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