Kinesiology Taping
Kinesio Taping- Kinesio Taping Method is a therapeutic taping technique which alleviates pain and facilitates lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin.
Kinesio Tex Tape contains either 100% cotton and elastic fibres or it can be a blend of polyester and cotton with elastic fibres. The latter is a preferable choice for Kinesio Taping application on sensitive skin when higher tensions on the tape are needed for the desired outcome.
Type of Kinesio Tex Tapes
Currently, there are 4 types of tapes available for Kinesio Taping Method applications for humans and 2 types of tapes for animals. Each clinician can choose the most appropriate type of tape, based on the desired outcome and the client's skin condition. When taping is considered by an untrained individual it is suggested to use Classic or Performance+ Tape.
The following are tape types and their characteristic:
- Kinesio Tex Classic: the original tape that received several upgrades over time, the most universal as it can be used for all applications and ideally on healthy skin.
- Kinesio Tex Performance+: different, looser pattern on the tread, polyester and cotton blend best for sensitive skin when higher tensions on the tape are desired.
- Kinesio Tex Gold: special distribution of adhesive allowing good attachment without requiring large surface area, good for low tension applications and available only for trained professionals.
- Kinesio Tex Gold Light Touch Plus: adhesive distributed to allow gentle grip, does not last as long as other types so it is used for short term applications and usually for children and older adults with fragile skin.
- Kinesio Equine: developed to allow the Kinesio Taping method to be used on horses, can be applied directly on horses hair and its taste prevents animals from chewing it.
- Kinesio Canine: used on dogs and it works well with dogs' hair.
