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Incorporating Kinesio Tape into My Massage Practice.

March – 2010

Incorporating Kinesio Tape into My Massage Practice.

The Kinesio Taping is a technique based on the body’s own natural healing process. Since the Kinesio method of taping places the tape on top of and around muscle groups and bony structures, the tape can be used before, during and after activities, and worn for up to three to five days without harming the skin. Kinesio tape is an “elastic therapeutic tape” that does not contain latex. It is used to provide many benefits to both athletes and non-athletes.

 kinesio taping, massage therapy, therapeutic massage, st. george ut, saint george utah
Kinesio Taping works well with massage.
While most people may think that the muscles are the only tissues that receive benefits through massage; other connective tissues, such as, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, and tissues including lymphatic vessels and organs receive benefits as well. Some of those benefits are: promotes healing, regeneration and re-education of connective tissue, structural balance, improved range of motion, reducing scar tissue , reduce spasms and cramping, relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles. Using Kinesio Taping with massage may help to extend the benefits that you’ve received from the massage.For instance let’s say we were working on gaining better range of motion (ROM) in your shoulder. In the massage we were able to get the muscles to release through massage and stretching which improved your ROM. For me as a therapist, I would like a way to help keep that structural balance in the shoulder in place or close to it, so that, any scar or overused tissue can heal, well Kinesio Tape helps with that. I’m able to tape the body in a way to hold the shoulder in a structural correct placement. This is a dynamic structural placement, meaning even though the muscles are in a fixed or semi-fixed position you will still have full range of motion, you can still go out and play golf, tennis or any other activity you like, due to the Kinesio Tape’s elastic therapeutic qualities. Basically all the tape is doing is holding and supporting the muscles in their optimum resting position so that when the muscle(s) is needed for a certain activity it has its full ROM capabilities and strength (if muscle isn’t injured).
kinesio taping, shoulder, massage therapy, therapeutic massage, st george ut, best massage, sports massage, massage by wil This dynamic structural placement works well with posture re-education; do you slouch? I know from experience, even though I really try to focus on sitting up and holding my shoulders back, after awhile I just naturally fall back into my old habits. With the Kinesio Tape it can pull the shoulders back and still be able to have full ROM of with the arms, but it will naturally force the body to sit up tall. It will take several applications to re-educate and condition the muscles, but in the end the body’s posture will feel better.
I’m just going to share an example of this from my experience with the tape, that I had during the seminar. The very first taping we did was for low back pain. On my right side I was experiencing some dull pain in my SI joint and mid-lower back. After about an hour I noticed the SI pain was gone, but the pain in the mid-lower back hadn’t changed much. A side effect of sitting in the seminar all day slouching, my left neck/shoulder started to ache and a burning sensation was going down my back between my blades. After sleeping in a bed I wasn’t use to and the side effects of my slouching during the seminar, the next morning I was feeling pretty beat up. Not long into the second day of the seminar we got to learn how to do some postural corrections with the shoulders. Once my shoulders were positioned and taped in their optimum resting state, I almost had instant relief in my mid-back and neck/shoulder. After about an hour the burning sensation between my blades were gone as well as the remaining pain in my mid-back. Once I become comfortable and out of pain my body wanted to return to my normal slouching state, but the tape held its position and it alerted me to sit upright. It was a very cool experience and that evening I slept very well and woke up with no pain.Next month I’ll talk more about how Kinesio Tape can benefit you.

February – 2010

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve disorder of the hand caused by compression of the median nerve. The median nerve gets squeezed inside a narrow passage in the wrist called the carpal tunnel. This nerve provides feeling to the thumb, index and middle fingers, and half the ring finger.

The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel which is a canal in the wrist that is surrounded by bone on three sides, and a transverse carpal ligament on the fourth. Nine tendons—the flexor tendons of the hand—pass through this canal. The median nerve can be compressed by a decrease in the size of the canal, an increase in the size of the contents (such as the swelling of lubrication tissue around the flexor tendons), or both. Simply flexing the wrist to 90 degrees will decrease the size of the canal.
Swelling of tissue in carpal tunnel may be due to an injury in the wrist such as a fall that compressed, crushed, or broke it. Swelling may occur with as simple as fluid changes in the body can create pressure in the carpal tunnel. Common activities related to this syndrome from the way you have to hold the wrist at odd angles are: sewing, playing musical instruments, typing, assembly tasks, and certain sports. Other factors that may increase the chances are: curtain medications, hormone-related conditions, diseases, smoking, age and health. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be misdiagnosed, and other syndromes can be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. A nerve conduction study or referral to a neurologist may be of benefit in clarifying the diagnosis.Many people who have carpal tunnel syndrome have gradually increasing symptoms over time. The first symptoms of CTS may appear when sleeping, and typically include numbness and paresthesia (a burning and tingling sensation) in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, although some people may experience symptoms in the palm as well. These symptoms appear at night because people tend to bend their wrists when they sleep, which further compresses the carpal tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome causes symptoms in one or both hands or wrists. Symptoms may include:
  • Tingling, burning, or numbness, especially in the thumb and index or middle fingers
  • Pain or numbness that worsens with:
    • Wrist, hand, or finger movement
    • Sleep (symptoms may wake you)
  • Hand stiffness or cramping that gets better after:
    • Shaking the hand
    • Waking up in the morning
  • Weakness or clumsiness of the hand

    Loss of grip strength

    Difficulty making a fist

    Frequently dropping things

  • Pain that moves up the arm
If diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome it may be helpful to:
Rest the wrist by keeping it straight and decreasing activities that worsen pain.
Gently apply ice packs to the area.
Elevate the hand above the heart to reduce swelling.
Do exercises as directed by your healthcare provider.The healthcare provider may also suggest using a wrist splint as well. A splint will prevent extreme movements of the wrist. It is most effective when worn at night and can help avoid waking up with symptoms.
Massage and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Massage therapy eases the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and increases grip strength, according to a recent study. “Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms are lessened following massage therapy” was conducted by staff at the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami , Florida.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, burning and numbness of the hand. Sixteen people diagnosed with this syndrome participated in the study. All of them held jobs involving heavy word processing or computer work.
Subjects were randomly assigned to either the standard-treatment control group or the massage-therapy group. Those in the massage group received one massage per week on the affected arm for four weeks. They were also instructed in self-massage, which they were to perform each night before bed.
The massage routine consisted of stroking of moderate pressure from the fingertips to the elbow. A massage and pain log was kept by subjects in the massage group. In the log, participants recorded the times at which they began and ended self-massage, as well as their levels of pain on a scale from zero to 10.
Subjects in the control group received no intervention, but were taught the massage routine after the study ended.

Physicians evaluated participants’ carpal tunnel symptoms, such as tingling, numbness, pain and strength, at the beginning and end of the four-week study. The Tinel sign, which tests to see if light tapping of the affected area elicits pain or tingling, was also used at the start and finish of the study. Physicians used the Phalen Test at the beginning and end of the study as well. The Phalen Test involves flexing of the wrists to see if numbness or tingling occurs.
A nerve conduction test was also performed at the start and finish of the study. This involved stimulation of the median sensory nerves through electrodes placed on each subject’s index finger and wrist. Peak sensory latencies were recorded to test for nerve compression at the carpal tunnel. Median peak latency was the primary outcome measure.
Assessments were also made before and after the massage sessions on the first and last days of the study, including the Perceived Grip Strength Scale; VITAS, a pain assessment using a visual analogue scale; the state anxiety inventory; and the Profile of Mood States.

Results of the study showed that the subjects in the massage group had significantly less pain and reduced carpal tunnel symptoms, as well as shorter median peak latencies and increased grip strength.
“Functional activity also improved as noted in reduced pain and increased grip strength in the massage therapy group, both immediately after the first and last massage therapy sessions and by the end of the study,” state the study’s authors. “Finally, the massage therapy group reported lower anxiety and depressed mood levels both immediately after the first and last sessions and by the end of the study.”

Source:

• Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami , Florida . Authors: Tiffany Field, Ph.D.; Miguel Diego; Christy Cullen; Kristin Hartshorn; Alan Gruskin; Maria Hernandez-Reif, Ph.D.; and William Sunshine. Originally published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2004, Vol. 8, pp. 9-14.

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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