Kinesio Taping Method: “Magic’ Tape Helps Athletes Perform at their Best

Anyone who watches sporting events on a regular basis has taken note of the strips of tape that athletes are wearing during competition. Elite level athletes have been spotted with colorful strips on their shoulders, backs, feet and knees. Many people first took notice during the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Women’s Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist Kerry Walsh wore it on her shoulder. Several athletes wore Kinesio Tape during the 2008 Olympics, but it was worn in the 2009 Super Bowl, the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament and by Tiger Woods and David Beckham. In his 2003 book Every Second Counts, Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong noted his team used “a special hot-pink athletic tape that came from Japan and seemed to have magical power…. Sometimes we’d be so wrapped up in hot-pink tape that we’d look like dolls, a bunch of broken dolls. But the tape worked, so we kept it, because it could fix things.” But what does Kinesio Tape do?

The Kinesio Taping Method helps to relieve acute and chronic joint pains while increasing the joint’s range-of-motion and decreasing inflammation. Kinesio Tape can help support muscles by improving the contraction of weaker muscles as it supports the alignment of the joint. There are different methods of applying Kinesio Tape can increase the circulation to and from areas of the body.

The Kinesio Taping Method assists and supports muscles without inhibiting a joint’s range of motion, unlike traditional athletic taping. Kinesio Tape can be applied in several distinctive approaches to achieve specific outcomes in an athlete or a patient and can be left in place for several days. The tape does not have any medication in it, so it is not like a “pain patch” that just be adhered to the back. It has elastic qualities and should be applied by a practitioner who is trained in the Kinesio Taping Method. Chiropractic physicians, physical therapists and occupational therapists are the main healthcare providers who utilize this technique.

While the Kinesio Taping Method was originally developed for use in athletes, the technique is utilized it to treat all types of patients and conditions, including foot pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, neck and low back pain, among other conditions. Dr. Bryan D. Royer has been using the Kinesio Taping Method for over 5 years and is one of the few healthcare providers in the Toledo Area certified to utilize this technique as a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP).

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DR. ROYER

Dr. Bryan D. Royer has been practicing chiropractic medicine in the Toledo area since 2005. He graduated summa cum laude as the class salutatorian from the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in 2004. Dr. Royer’s earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in biology from the University of Dayton in 1999 and another Bachelor of Science with a major in human biology in 2002 from NUHS. He is the only Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist practicing in the Toledo area. He is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, the Ohio State Chiropractic Association, the Michigan Association of Chiropractors, the Northwest Ohio Chiropractic Association, the ACA Council on Neurology, the American Academy of Spine Physicians and the Kinesio Taping Association.

Dr. Royer has taken extensive post-graduate classes in Kinesio Taping, Graston Technique, Activator Methods, functional neurology, clinical nutrition and impairment ratings for disability evaluation, as well as other seminars. He focuses on neurological and musculoskeletal problems in his practice but also enjoys helping people with nutritional deficits and allergy problems.

Dr. Royer focuses on educating his patients and the community on how to promote a healthy lifestyle. He is currently an instructor in Anatomy & Physiology and General Biology at Owens Community College.