| The focus on USA Olympic Beach Volleyball player | | | | without any knee pain or injury. It would be have |
| Kerri Walsh's right shoulder has piqued the public's | | | | been interesting to compare uninjured and injured |
| interest about Kinesio tape. | | | | groups in this study. |
| What is Kinesio tape? | | | | A more recent study published in the Journal of |
| Kinesio tape is an adhesive cotton athletic tape | | | | Sports Physical Therapy in July 2008 by US Army |
| with an elasticity that allows it to stretch up to | | | | physical therapists found the Kinseo taping helped |
| 120% to 140% of its original length without any | | | | with increasing shoulder range on motion in |
| tension. The Kinesio tape is claimed to reduce | | | | subjects diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis. |
| swelling, pain and decrease muscle spasm. | | | | The subjects studied either had Kinesio tape |
| Invented by a Japanese chiropractor, Kenzo Kase, | | | | applied in a specific pattern to the affected |
| his taping technique has been used by sports | | | | shoulder or had "sham" Kinesio taping to the |
| medicine professional world-wide. | | | | shoulder that was not designed to facilitate and |
| Research on Kinesio Tape | | | | improve shoulder range of motion. |
| There is some limited published research on the | | | | The Kinesio taped subjects demonstrated n |
| effects of Kinesio tape and muscle or athletic | | | | immediate measurable increase in their pain-free |
| function. We have reviewed several of the | | | | range of motion following taping in comparison to |
| studies below: A 2007 study from the | | | | the "sham" Kinesio tape group. The study would |
| Department of Rehabilitation and University of | | | | suggest that Kinesio taping of patients with |
| Warsaw, Poland looked at the impact of Kinesio | | | | rotator cuff tendonitis may experience an |
| taping on muscle activity of the vastus medialis | | | | immediate measurable improvement in their |
| (part of the quadriceps muscle) in healthy adult | | | | pain-free range of motion. It would be interesting |
| volunteers. A total of 27 subjests had EMG | | | | to continue the study for a longer time period to |
| testing of the vastus medialis before and after | | | | quantify how long the improve lasts - if only for |
| application of the Kinesio tape to determine if the | | | | the duration of the Kinesio tape application or |
| tape had any effect on measurable muscle | | | | longer as demonstrated in the first study. |
| activity. The researchers measured muscle | | | | Another recent study form the Journal of Science |
| activity over 5 repetitions of 3 seconds of muscle | | | | and Medicine in Sport looked at the effect of |
| contraction followed by 3 seconds of muscle | | | | Kinesio tape on muscle function and strength of |
| relaxation. | | | | the anterior knee and thigh of healthy college |
| On the first day of taping, they did not see an | | | | kickboxers from the National College of Physical |
| appreciable difference in muscle activity in the | | | | Education and Sport in Taiwan. Any athletes with |
| short term (ten minutes after applying the Kinesio | | | | a history of knee pain or injury within 3 months |
| tape). However, after 24 hours of wearing the | | | | of starting the study were excluded from the |
| Kinesio tape, they did see a measurable increase | | | | study. The researchers used a Y-shaped Kinesio |
| of muscle activity of 54% from initial testing. This | | | | tape on the dominant-side quadriceps following |
| increase in muscle activity and peak torque from | | | | Kenzo Kase's Kinesio taping manual and tested |
| the Kinesio tape would be higher than expected | | | | concentric and eccentric quadriceps and hamstring |
| due to simply day-to-day fluctuants of muscle | | | | contraction two different speeds. The |
| activity as reported in previous studies. After 24 | | | | measurements were taken before Kinesio taping, |
| hours, the researchers removed the tape and | | | | immediately after Kinesio taping and then 12 hours |
| continued to measure peak muscle torque at 72 | | | | after the Kinesio tape had been applied. |
| and 96 hours to determine if there was a lasting | | | | The researchers found that there was no |
| effect from the Kinesio tape. Interesting, they | | | | significant measurable difference in quadriceps and |
| found that there was still an increase in the peak | | | | hamstring muscle strength before and 12 hours |
| muscle torque and muscle recruitment at 72 | | | | after Kinesio taping. The researcher did attempt |
| hours from the initial Kinesio tape application and | | | | to determine if there was facilitation or inhibition |
| 48 hours after removing the Kinesio tape. This | | | | of the quadriceps by also measuring the |
| finding would suggest that the mechanical | | | | antagonist hamstring muscle group. One limitation |
| properties of the Kinesio tape itself while on the | | | | of the study is that it did not measure a longer |
| skin are not the only contributing factors to | | | | time interval after the Kinesio tape application to |
| increasing muscular activity. This study, while | | | | determine if a longer time was required before a |
| apparently well done, only targeted subjects | | | | measurable difference was found. |