Raymond Solano, DC, CCSP

From my experience as a sports medicine professional, it gives me the greatest pleasure to assist an athlete through the recovery of an injury. Sometimes though, in order to push through challenges, you must "think out of the box". This type of thinking is being used today by many sports chiropractors, physical therapists, and trainers when using Kinesio-Tape instead of standard athletic tape during the healing process of an injury.

You see, Kinesio-Tape actually offers a different paradigm altogether from the standard model. Standard athletic tape is used by definition to either restrict range of motion or apply compression. Kinesio-Tape is used to do just the opposite -- maintain range of motion and not apply compression. The idea is that continuous compression on lymphatic and venous structures prevents the return of inflammatory exudates, which hampers the recovery of the tissue and increases pain perception. For best results, the body is placed through its end range of motion and then Kinesio-Tape is applied -- to ensure that it doesn't limit the range of motion. Kinesio-Tape can be applied to reduce pain, improve muscular balance, provide tissue support, and reduce inflammation.

I have used Kinesio-Tape on ankles, knees, shoulders, hips, and spine. I endorse this method of taping and truly believe that it helps the athlete with the healing process and even during competition. For more info about Kinesio-Tape , please email me at docsolano@solanospine.com