Kinesiotaping: Is there any science or place only color?

The kinesiotaping, also called Kinesio Taping is a technique that uses a specific material strips kinesiotape, to supposedly get various improvements in health and injury prevention and recovery.

The kinesiotaping acquires visibility and worldwide fame a few years ago, curiously condescending with massive donations tape kinesio Olympic athletes, especially in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Does what promises or stays in placebo?

kinesiotaping
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Kinesiotaping does it work? Do you have scientific basis?

This technique is attributed benefits as improved performance, improved circulation and drainage, improvement of pain … But the truth is that the evidence shows that this is not so clear.

Briefly, the content of the above two links is to say that, while it is true that, doing searches, we find individual studies where the kinesiotaping appear to have beneficial effect, most of the evidence does not supports it as a technique with the benefits of producing.

Kinesiotaping or Kinesio-tape

Here I think it’s important to make a distinction: the kinesiotaping as technical(the application of strips, tension, form, some even say that colors influence …) and Kinesio-tape, as a material.

You asking physiotherapists who regularly use this technique, they recommend the material because it is strong, durable, you can take a shower with the ace bandage if necessary, will not peel off the sweat and the summer heat is removed well from the skin without being too upset … That is, the material used to perform various bandage and treatment techniques, but do not use the technique and principles of kinesiotaping.

Strips, per have no therapeutic effect. There are patients and athletes who think the strip itself by itself is therapeutic. The paste that makes some sort of effect or release any substance. There are people who buy the tapes to applicators themselves, looking for this effect simply by the use of the material: this is a mistake.

Similarly, some people think that the colors have some use. Each color has a specific indication, but this is not correct. The colors are just for aesthetics, for athletes bandages combine the colors of his team, but is not described or indicated the use of certain colors for different effects: tapes of all colors are equal.

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Why it is used both and Why are there people that works for them?

So that it is clearly a widespread fashion: not too expensive, use celebrities, you can walk with him along the beach, work, gym … and then you start to attract attention. In the day we had the bracelets balance, which improved capabilities. Well now, we have the colored strips, which we attribute a kindness that no one has said they have.

We’ve talked about marketing and now speak also of beliefs and placebo. We know that athletes tend to be superstitious to a greater or lesser extent. Superstition is a simple, safe, thinking that something can improve your performance or reduce your pain without side effects.

The placebo works, and is very powerful. Its effects are known, but it is something that we often forget. For treatment to be effective, you have to prove that it is better to use a placebo as placebo also relieves pain and improves performance in some cases.

The kinesiotaping is often used in combination with other recovery techniques. If used, it must be added to the treatment, not be a technique used individually or solely because the patient / athlete asks.

However, if the patient / athlete wants, failure to apply it can cause a feeling of discomfort or incomplete treatment, so many therapists apply these strips of colors, sometimes even while they tell the patient / athlete “I put you, but be aware that this does nothing”.

But that it does, as we have noted before, the patching technique and material determine the effects it may have. If you use the kinesiotaping for a bandage therapeutic effect (make a functional bandage, fixing a hinge to prevent hurt) the benefit of the treatment applied is not material in conquest.

And if the person feels better by applying colored ribbons, although they are just as placebo, also it has an effect, as had bracelets balance at the time …

And you are ye kinesiotaping users as professionals or have received such treatment? Leave us your impressions.

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Roger Walker

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