Everything you need to know about applying kinesio tape

Kinesiotape is an elastic tape that is used for various purposes, such as reducing pain and supporting muscles and joints. Want to buy kinesiotape? Go to this page. This tape is also often used by physiotherapists and athletes to treat or prevent injuries. However, you can also apply kinesiotape yourself. Read this article to learn how to apply this medical tape.

What can you use kinesio tape for?

Kinesiotape is made of cotton and is elastic. This causes the tape to lift the skin from the tissues under the skin. This causes compression or decompression of, for example, the muscles, which leads to a change in the pain signals that go to the brain. Medical tape helps, among other things, to reduce pain and discomfort caused by injuries, muscle pain or inflammation. It can also be used to support muscles and joints, which is especially useful in the case of overload, strains or instability. It is often also used preventively to prevent injuries.

When not to use this tape?

There are certain situations in which kinesiotape should not be used. Consider conditions such as:

• Thin skin
• Skin conditions
• Open wounds. Do you want to treat an open wound? Read here how to do this.
• Active forms of cancer
• Burns

How do you apply kinesio tape?

Applying kinesio tape correctly is important to achieve the desired results. How to do this correctly depends partly on where you have an injury. Read here how to tape a wrist. In general, the skin where the medical tape is applied should be clean and dry. Below we will discuss some common injuries.

Applying kinesio tape to the lower back yourself

Start by cutting the tape. Make three pieces of, 15, 19 and 23 centimeters. The edges should be cut round. Then sit down in a relaxed manner. Take the smallest strip and stick it on the middle of the lower back just above where your bottom ends. Now take the piece of tape of 19 centimeters and stick it horizontally over half of the previous piece of tape. Finally, apply the largest piece of tape. Place this horizontally over half of the second piece of tape.

Taping your shin yourself

If you have to tape your shin yourself, you should start by measuring how big your first piece of tape should be. Hold the tape along the inside of your leg in a straight position. Take the bottom of your heel as a starting point, up to a hand's width below your knee. Also cut two pieces of 15 centimeters and cut the last 5 centimeters in them, so that a V-shape is created. Cut all pieces round. Take the large, measured piece of tape and apply it perpendicular to your heel. The tape points towards the inside of the leg. Stick the tape along the line from heel to shin. Now take one of the smaller pieces of tape. Stick the middle of this piece of tape, seen from the calf, exactly one centimeter past that annoying sore spot. The second piece of tape of 15 centimeters is applied in an identical way just above the first.

The different cutting shapes and colors

Kinesiotape comes in different colours. The effect and production is the same, but the duration of the tape on someone's skin can differ per person. In general, you can say that if you have an injury that requires cooling, a blue or beige colour is chosen. A bright colour is more suitable for activating muscles.There are also several cutting shapes for kinesio tape, such as:

• I-tape
• Y-tape
• X-tape
• Octopus tape

How long can kinesio tape stay on?

It depends a bit on the shape and technique you used to apply the tape, but on average the medical tape stays on for about 4 to 10 days. You can do everything with the tape on your injury. From sports to showering and even swimming; everything is possible with the kinesio tape. Depending on your injury and its severity, you can tape your injury multiple times. Some people use a certain period, while others are taped for certain actions that irritate the injured muscle or joint.