Kinesiotape: How Does It Work?

During the summer Olympics, you noticed many athletes wearing kinesiotape on a wide variety of body parts.  From shoulders, to abs, to calf muscles, this colorful tape has been worn on the track, volleyball court and countless other sporting venues.  As physical therapists, we have used this type of taping on hundreds of patients, and we have seen it help athletes and non-athletes alike. 

What is Kinesiotape?  

Kinesiotape, Rock tape and Physio tape are all similar products.  They are athletic tapes with elasticity similar to human skin and muscle tissues.  They have a fibrous pattern or weave that mimics the skin and are designed to be worn for several days without irritation.  The elasticity and pattern of the tape function to lift the skin away from the soft tissue underneath.  This allows for the following benefits:

• Muscle re-education.  This tape is designed to give a sensory input to the muscle which aids in correct firing of the muscle.

• Improved circulation of blood and lymph.  The stretch quality of this tape lifts and pulls the skin allowing greater amount of space and contraction of the underlying smooth muscle.

• Pain relief.  The constant contact to the skin provides a message to the brain that helps suppress the feeling of pain.

• Support of proper joint position.  By facilitating greater muscle contraction, the tape is able to provide increased muscular support to joints that need more stability.  These include shoulders, knees, feet and the spine.

Injuries that respond well to Kinesiotape: 

 In our clinical experience, Kinesiotape works well with the following conditions:

• Plantar Fasciitis

• Patellar or Achilles Tendonitis

• Shoulder Impingement

• Poor Posture/Scap dysfunction

• Low Back Pain

• Performance Enhancement

Kinesiotape isn’t just for athletes. 

 While usually associated with sports injuries and performance, Kinesiotape works well on patients of all fitness levels.  It can give sensory feedback to someone working a desk job that has horrible posture.  It can give immediate pain relief to an inactive person experiencing foot pain or someone with low tolerance to medications.  It has even been used successfully to help the abdominal muscles support a pregnant belly. 

If you would like to find out more about this type of taping, or to see if this treatment might help you or a loved one, please contact your closest AZOPT clinic.  One of our highly trained therapists would be happy to tell you more! http://www.azopt.net/

Tummy Time

By: Teri Roberts, DPT, Kids Place  

Tummy time is the most important position for a child between the ages of birth and 6 months. With the Back to Sleep Campaign it has been strongly recommended that infants should not sleep on their stomach and should always be positioned on their back to sleep. With these updated sleeping positions, tummy time during waking hours has been recommended for infants. In modern America, our infants are used to spending ALL day either on their back or in an upright seated position; while in the swing, bouncy seat, car seat, highchair, etc . The equipment is very marketable, and not all bad, however it limits the amount of time a child spends learning how to move on the floor, especially in the prone (on tummy) position. A child in prone learns how to use their muscles, especially their neck, back and bottom muscles. This blog piece would be hundreds of pages long if every important reason for tummy time was described. Trust experienced therapists when stated that daily tummy time is extremely important for overall gross motor development. Fifteen minutes daily of tummy time is the bare minimum, but the more awake tummy time your child can perform, the more they will enjoy it and the stronger they will become. Unless otherwise stated by your physician, tummy time can start the first day your child is brought home from the hospital. Just remember to monitor your child at all times while they are on their tummy, until they are able to roll onto their stomach independently.

A Solution to Plagiocephaly

Question: What can be done when a child is born with an abnormally shaped head?

Answer:  A child can wear a cranial helmet to correct an abnormally shaped head.

Cranial Helmet

The cranial helmet is an orthotic device that is given to children to correct their misshapen head. The birthing process can cause a baby’s head to be misshapen, but it usually will correct itself gradually. If the abnormal shape continues beyond six week of age, an evaluation by a physician is recommended. The misshapen head is termed plagiocephaly and it can occur before or after birth. The causes of plagiocephaly are restrictions of the womb (multiples or a small pelvis), prematurity (cranial bones are softer), torticollis, decreased amounts of tummy time and overuse of infant seats, carriers, strollers and swings.   



Developmental Feeding Milestones

By: Colleen Riordan, SLP

If you are a new parent or grandparent, you may be wondering when your “little one” will start self feeding. Here is a quick guide on what to expect.

12 months

·      Finger-feed mashed table foods

·      Begin drinking from a straw

2 years old

·      Eat a variety of textures and use a spoon fairly efficiently

·      Drink from a cup without loss of liquid from mouth

3 years old

·      Eat foods from all basic food groups, and be able to try new foods at least once