San Jose Chiropractor, A Chiropractic Blog

DPA - Leryn Franco Reuters - Katrin Holtwick Getty Images - Trey Hardee Kinesiotape, aka kinesiology tape, physio tape or elastic therapeutic tape, is back in the Olympics in 2012. I made a blog article talking about the use of kinesiotape in 2008 with pictures of Kerri Walsh Jennings and Martin Plavins . For this olympics, it is used more than before but it is still not accepted by the skeptics in the scientific community. The critics credit any success to the placebo effect because of the lack of scientific evidence. There are plenty of journal research on professional athletes and superstition. Superstition gives athletes confidence which is proven to provide more "luck" or success. I will talk more about how kinesiotape does have specific therapeutic functions that are easy to understand. "I think, if anything, there is a placebo effect involved, and there probably is a little bit of a peer pressure effect. When people see...

Some patients mentioned a precut elastic tape but now I have found what they were talking about. I am still not sure what was the exact brand used in the Beijing summer olympics but it looks like a new brand of kinesiology tape, KT Tape, is being endorsed by Kerri Walsh. The earliest press release that I can find is in May and June 2009. Oct 24, 2009, Mary Sheddon of The Tamba Tribune reports that KT Tape helps with foot pains and shin splints. SpiderTech is another brand claimed to be the "original" starting in 1987. Kinesio Tex developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase around 1984 according to their website also claiming to be the original. My guess is that Nitto Denko is a company that had a elastic sports tape since the 80's along with Kinesio Tex but Dr. Kenzo Kase developed an actual taping technique. Kinesio Tex has had several books and seminars for years. I have yet to find any book or seminar from SpiderTech or KT Tape. The earliest press release or product for SpiderTech...

Joseph Dimalanta, D.C. writes in his blog confirming that chiropractors, specifically Ted Forcum, D.C., DACBSP, were an important part of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. My blog even reported at that time Kinesio Tape was used on Kerri Walsh's shoulder . I still do not know exactly who used Kinesio Tape on Kerri Walsh's shoulder but I am more certain now that it was a chiropractor. Another tool used by chiropractors is Graston Technique for high performance athletes with muscle, ligaments, scar tissue or other soft tissue problems in general. Chiropractors have known for years that if Graston Technique is good enough for athletes, it is also good for chronic pain. Mike Reed, DC, DACBSP, a former instructor of mine at SCUHS (LACC), was in charge of the medical panel as a director of the USOC in Beijing and also the upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympics. According to Dr. Reed, the medical panel of the Beijing Normal University's High Performance Training Center consisted ...

What is that black tattoo on Kerri Walsh's right shoulder? It is called Kinesio Tex Taping which is an elastic taping used in chiropractic, rehabilitation and sports medicine. Developed 25 years ago by Dr. Kenzo Kase, it is now getting recognition and being used by top athletes such as Lance Armstrong , Serena Williams , David Beckam , Robby Ginepri and Justine Henin . Kinesio Tape works by giving support like a flexible brace and facilitates weak muscles with neurological awareness or proprioception. Kerri Walsh had a recent rotator cuff surgery last November. NBC reported that she uses the black shoulder tape for better circulation and her shoulder pain. Harder to see with the beige Kinesio Taping, Martins Plavins used Kinesio Taping in the huge upset against the US team of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser. Did Kinesio Tape give Walsh and Plavins an unfair advantage to both win? :) Maybe not, but it pleases me to know that I something I use to help my patients is trusted...