Patient Information

Colorful Bandages Help Heal

Kinesiology is the study of movement. Physiotherapists or doctors use the term kinesiologic tape to describe an elastic bandage. Kinesiologic taping provides a rapid restoration of the normal range of motion in the patient after sports injuries or in treatment of chronic pain.

Kinesiologic taping is based on the experiences of traditional, natural healing processes. Without the use of the most modern, high-tech textiles, it would be unimaginable in its current form. As an alternative to pharmaceuticals, and one which has no side-effects, kinesiologic tape is revolutionizing important areas of sports medicine and pain treatment today.

Kinesiologic Tape in the Media

Maybe you've seen the film "Project Gold - A German World Championship in Handball". Then you may have noticed that some of the heroes from the German World Championship team, including Heiner Brandt, our National Coach, wore blue, red and skin-tone adhesive patches. Exactly positioned for therapeutic effects, these colorful strips appeared on the necks, backs, and leg muscles on our athletes. But you could also see athletes who were obviously wearing kinesiologic tape during the European Football Championships and in the Olympic Games in China. At the latest, it was clear with the appearance of the colorfully taped players in the women's beach volleyball finals (Holtwick/Semmler), that a new era had started in the field of sports medicine, the era of Kinesiologic Tape.

Tape Therapy Then ...

Inelastic tapes have been known in sports medicine and orthopedic medicine for a long time. They were used for stabilizing and immobilizing joints. This stiff immobilization lead to lasting restrictions in motion in the patient. The result was often protracted a rehabilitation phase with subsequent, extensive physiotherapeutic treatment as well as dangerous degrees of muscle atrophy.

Therapy Using Kinesiologic Tape

Modern kinesiologic tapes are very flexible and achieve their effects without restricting motion. Kinesiologic tape has a targeted influence on the patient or athlete's nervous system and metabolism. Kinesiologic tapes consist of elastic nylon fiber or of cotton with an adhesive layer of especially eudermic adhesive.

By applying different adhesive techniques (kinesiologic taping), the therapist can achieve a remarkable and best of all a rapid reduction in pain, e.g. in bruises, strained joints or in muscle problems. But it doesn't stop there. Additionally, it produces a lasting improvement in muscle function and supports the joints. The lymph system is also stimulated and this in turn stimulates the metabolism. Positive effects of kinesiologic tape resulting from these uses have even been frequently reported for the internal organs.

Kinesiologic Taping Works! But How and Why?

The daily experience of thousands of therapists, doctors, practitioners of traditional healing, masseurs and sports therapists and those of their patients provide more than adequate proof of the efficacy of kinesiologic tape. Until recently, though, there were no scientific studies on the effective mechanism of kinesiologic taping. It's not that this wasn't an exciting field for research, but that only large pharmaceutical companies with big research budgets could afford such studies.

Possible Effective Mechanism of Kinesiologic Tape

In the human body, there are different mechanisms with which it can react to stimuli from its surroundings. If initial contact with applied kinesiologic tape irritates the skin, this stimulus is rapidly transmitted to the brain through the nerve fibers. The brain then coordinates the possible responses to this stimulus. Painful stimulation from a muscle that has already lasted for some time is transmitted much more slowly. Rapidly and slowly transmitted (painful) stimuli may possibly overlap each other in the brain and thus completely or partially cancel each other out.

Even if the effective mechanism of kinesiologic tape can only be theoretically described by this effect- its importance for muscles afflicted by pain is dramatic: Certain movements can again be performed effectively, since the so-called relief posture has been made surperfluous.

By using kinesiologic tape, one achieves rapid pain relief with overall improvement of the range of motion and uninterrupted blood flow. This removes any hindrances to an optimal healing process. An additional positive side effect is that kinesiologic type raises the skin slightly. This provides additional opening of the vascular system and significantly supports lymph circulation.

If you still have any doubts about the effectiveness of kinesiologic tape, just consider the one point on which medical professionals always agree: Those who heal are doing something right!