The 2012 London Olympic Games showcased elite athletes competing at the top of their sport, but pain and sacrifice are often involved as you can see by all of the colored strips of tape on the Olympians. These elite level athletes were spotted with colorful strips on their shoulders, backs, feet and knees. Many first noticed the Women’s Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist Kerry Walsh wearing it during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During the London Olympic Games, you see it during almost every sport that is televised. It is worn during professional and amateur sporting competitions, but Kinesio Tape is not the only thing that is used to keep the athletes competing. Another procedure that is never seen on the field, but is used by more than 208 professional and amateur sports organizations is called Graston Technique. Graston Technique was recently cited by Michael Phelps in an interview in Details magazine as one of the things that helps him to recover from his intense workouts. Dr. Bryan D. Royer, a local chiropractic physician, uses both of these techniques on his patients to help them heal from a variety of injuries. He has helped his patients to improve their times in the Glass City Marathon or continue to play in competitive tennis despite the injuries that might have kept them from play.

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. 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.

Graston Technique is a procedure that detects and treats areas of “scar tissue” or myofascial adhesions in muscles, tendons and ligaments that can lead to pain or dysfunction. Graston Technique uses six stainless steel instruments that are used to break up areas of adhesions and restrictions. Stretching and strengthening exercises are used to promote the proper alignment of the fibers, so it behaves like healthy tissue. This results in the patient gaining mobility and experiencing less pain.

While both the Kinesio Taping Method and Graston Technique are often used in athletes, they can be utilized 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 is the only certified Graston Technique provider in the Toledo Area and is one of the few healthcare providers in the Toledo Area credentialed as a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP). Dr. Royer received his sports medicine training from the Medical Director for the US Olympic Committee.