Background

Kinesiology taping is a modality used to decrease pain sensation, provide decompression, and act as a neurosensory stimulator. Kinesiology taping works by lifting the skin and underlying tissues to promote circulation and to create a sensory input to distract from and decrease pain.

This section provides four videos for the occupational therapy (OT) practitioner to review that lists kinesiology precautions and contraindications and explains how to use kinesiology tape for pain, proprioception, edema, and scar management.

Pain and edema can limit your clients from performing certain tasks, which results in greater disability and dependence. Kinesiology taping can help your client by reducing that limitation and allowing them to perform their desired occupation. Excessive scarring can limit range of motion (ROM) and it is painful. Over time, kinesiology taping can help return elasticity in the scarred area and allow better ROM. Kinesiology taping also provides tactile cues for your clients with stroke, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), or spinal cord injuries (SCI) by helping to tell them where their body is and if they need to adjust their posture. If your client is struggling to participate in an occupation, kinesiology taping is a modality that they can use during and outside of treatment.

Precautions and Contraindications

• Precautions
• Precautions
• History of skin reactions.
• Kidney and heart conditions.
• Contraindications
• Open wounds.
• Active infections.
• Active cancer sites.

Kinesiology Taping for Pain

This video explains kinesiology taping techniques that the OT practitioner can use for their clients who are experiencing pain.

Kinesiology Taping for Pain Video Transcript

Applying Kinesiology Tape for Pain Tips

• Measure the kinesiology tape to your client’s body part that you want to tape.
• Cut the strip into one to three pieces as needed.
• Cut one shorter strip in addition to the long strips.
• Round out the corners with scissors.
• Put your client’s painful body region under light stretch.
• Apply one to two longitudinal “stabilization strips” under no stretch.
• Apply one shorter perpendicular “decompression strip” over the painful region with the middle of the tape under light stretch.
• Rub the tape to heat activate the adhesive.
• Takeaway:
  • Kinesiology taping for pain works because it stimulates mechanoreceptors and decompresses nerve endings to reduce the pain sensation.

Kinesiology Taping for Proprioception

This video explains the technique, clinical reasoning, and examples of kinesiology taping that the OT practitioner can use for their proprioception clients.

Kinesiology Taping for Proprioception Video Transcript

Kinesiology Taping for Proprioception Tips

• Put the body in a neutral to shortened position, called the “desired position.”
• Measure one to two taping strips to the body part.
• Cut your strips, and round the corners with scissors.
• Apply no-stretch stabilization strips along the line of movement or the facial line.
• Takeaway:
  • Taping stimulates mechanoreceptors to provide tactile cues for posture
    and body placement.

Kinesiology Taping for Edema

This video explains the kinesiology taping steps that the OT practitioner can use to treat their clients who have edema and bruising.

Kinesiology Taping for Edema Video Transcript

Kinesiology Taping for Edema Tips

• Cut two strips of kinesiology tape, and cut them into jellyfish.
• Trim the corners.
• Place the first jellyfish head wherever is convenient, and spread one set of legs over the swelling area.
• Place the second jellyfish head on the other side so that the legs lay over the first set of legs and form a basket weave pattern.
• Takeaway:
  • Lifting up the skin with kinesiology tape promotes circulation.
  • Crossed-tape areas create a low-pressure, high-pressure pattern, which help to pull the fluid away.

This video explains the kinesiology taping technique that the OT practitioner can use to treat their clients who have scars.

Kinesiology Taping for Scar Management Video Transcript

Kinesiology Taping for Scar Management Tips

• First, find out which direction the scar does not want to move by pulling the scar up and down and side to side.
• Cut a piece of tape, then cut that into two to four equal-width pieces.
• Trim the tape corners.
• Take one piece of tape, tear it at one end, lay it down in the direction the scar does not want to move.
• Tape with a moderate amount of stretch.
• Take the other piece of tape, anchor it down on the other side of the scar, and have it pull in the other direction that the scar does not want to move.
• Tape with a moderate amount of stretch.
• After a few days, reassess.
• Takeaways:
  • Skin remodels over time.
  • Kineseology taping helps to reduce both the scar’s adhesiveness and appearance.
  • Always tape along with the direction the scar does not want to move, and use
    opposite-force direction.

Resources

• Kinesiology Taping Video Guides, RockTape
  • Video tutorials on how to use kinesiology tape, what different functions it supports, and resources.
• Kinesiology Taping, Physiopedia
  • Educates on the nature of k-tape, theory, application, precautions, and styles of taping. Video at the end educates on k-tape techniques.