What is the Kinesiotaping?

Apply strips of color on the skin to relieve sore muscles or improve injury is a practice long used a large number of famous athletes. It's the kinesiotaping.

Kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage

Apply strips of color on the skin to relieve sore muscles or improve injury is a practice long used a large number of famous athletes. It's the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage, a method that was born in Japan more than three decades ago and that is becoming more popular.

What is the kinesiotaping?

Sports fans already we are accustomed to see the curious colorful skin of our favorite players. It's not tattoos, which are also fashionable for a few years, a few strange stickers of different colors that are actually a neuromuscular bandage.
Kinesiotaping, one of the most popular forms with which called neuromuscular bandage, has not only come to the body of Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but from rehabilitation consultations and physiotherapy is already applied in patients much less famous than these two great players. Advocates of this therapy claim that it is not only already existing lesions, but it also helps to improve muscle performance in athletes who have no problem and is not considered doping!
While it may seem fruit of one of the many fads, neuromuscular bandage technique is refined for many years. Although it seems that the invention was more of Komp, who really popularized these bandages was the Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase in the Decade of the seventies of the last century.

How are the kinesiotaping bands?

These weird bands are made with fibers of cotton, which allows perspiration and, in addition, are 100% latex-free, so it can be applied on the skin of people who are allergic to this material. They remain attached to the skin thanks to its acrylic adhesive, which is activated by the own body heat and the rubbing of the hands of the specialist.
In addition, bands can stretch up to a 130 - 140% of its normal length, which allows the movement of the patient and, in addition, traction applied muscle working in recovery or improvement.
The colors of the bands are chosen by pure aesthetics, there are professionals who work with Chromotherapy and, for this reason, change the colors that are used depending on the patient. However, the tones similar to the skin of the patients are still the most demanded.

Does the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage

One of the major differences with traditional dressings is the kinesiotaping does not prevent the movement to eliminate musculoskeletal pains, as it explains the Delta clinic. And it is that you it's elastic strips that are applied in the affected zone in such a way that they allow movement and, therefore, a muscular improvement of biomechanical way. Despite this, these bands that subjected the muscles, so offer stability, both muscle and joint, and help improve the weakened muscle contraction (either by injury or by under-utilisation).
Another function of the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage is that it helps to reduce the swelling and improve circulation, since the fact that is an adhesive lifts the skin layer by making that there is more space under it for better pass both the flow of blood and lymph fluids, rather thanin turn, helps to remove waste from the body substances.
In addition, neuromuscular bandage, which already applies in private physiotherapy or chiropractic, as in rehabilitation of hospital services, consultations contributes to relieve pain, since it reduces the pressure on nociceptors, nerve endings responsible for detecting pain. In addition, help to correct problems joints, improving its range of amplitude and normalizing muscle tone.

Contraindications of the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage

Not all persons with muscular problems, joint or ligament, they can benefit from the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage. In addition to all those patients that their doctor discouraged it, or those in which has not appreciated improvement after applying it 2-3 times, some contraindications to more General for this kind of bandages are:
· Wounds: bands are not sterile, so it may not be applied on open wounds.
· Allergy or hypersensitivity skin: although it is not usual that trigger allergies with these bands, in the event that they occur should remove them immediately. It is ideal to first apply a small strip to check how the patient's skin reacts.
· Diseases or skin disorders: Burns, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, etc.
· Tumors, thrombosis and edemas: you must avoid, when these diseases will suffer, increase blood circulation, since it might be counterproductive with treatment.
· Diabetes: bandages may alter the absorption of insulin by diabetics.
· Pregnancy: should avoid any bandage that affects the uterus or the axis hipofisis-hipotalamo - ovarian.

How it applies the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage

The bands used in the kinesiotaping or neuromuscular bandage can be applied following three main different techniques, depending on the area that will be treated. Although some variants have been developed in recent years (fan-shaped, mesh, circular...), the three basic forms are:
· Bandage "I": a single strip is used and is suitable for small or linear areas.
· Bandage "And": is used to large muscles.
· Bandage "x": is also used for large and long muscles.
Any of these three types of bandage can be both own sticker stretch without it, depending on the purpose of the bandage. In this sense, when you opt for the kinesiotaping unstretched, intends to facilitate the circulation of blood and lymph, while that when you decide to stretch band before, attempting to be a mechanical correction to make muscle, joint or ligament, work well. Strips are stretched to a certain length depending on the type of injury that must be treated.

After the application of neuromuscular bandage

Once the band is placed, it will rub to activate the adhesive temperature sensitive and that it is securely fastened to the skin. It is also important to check that no has been placed incorrectly band, i.e., one end of the muscle to the other. If not done well, can be to produce cramps or excessive contractions.
Bandage, which can cause some itching during the first few minutes after placement, you can hold about 3-4 days and is resistant to water, so the patient may shower without problems and without having to remove it before or protect it with plastic.
However, it is recommended not to dip strips up to one hour after application to ensure that it is well glued to the body. If it is not possible to wait this time, there are special sprays that help that adherence is much faster.
To remove bands, it is best to do so in favor of the hair (which is usually shaved prior to placing the bandage) and kick back, to try to avoid irritation of the skin and, even, a breakdown of small superficial capillaries. Get wet with water band tends to help its withdrawal, as well as clean the adhesive residue with a little oil soaked in gauze.
Article contributed for educational purposes
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