You have probably seen some sort of taping applications on athletes or other people. Coloured stripes are taped on the body.This type of taping is called Kinesio tape method. In Japan, Dr Kenzo Kase first developed the Kinesio taping method in 1979.

Dr. Kase realized that manual therapy was extremely effective for treatment of different ailments but he wanted something for his patients to use between appointment sessions to increase efficiency of manual therapy for lasting results.

The Kinesio Taping Method is a definitive rehabilitative taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion as well as providing extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting.

An important aspect of Kinesio tape is rehabilitation.

Manual manipulation is important to rehabilitation. Using Kinesio tape after a manual manipulation session can increase efficacy of your treatment. The tape can help open up fascial tissue to make manual manipulation easier. It helps manual manipulation in that it gives a continuous amount of stabilization to the affected area and gives muscles and ligaments a chance to rebuild and restore by taking the pressure off of those areas that have been worked on manually. It can be used for alignment, for pain - If there is bruising or swelling, there is a taping method that helps drain fluids into the lymphatic ducts to decrease swelling and help rid the body of bruising.

With Kinesio tape it is important to know that you should always go to someone who has been trained to tape and has a background in kinesiology, anatomy, and physiology. Kinesio tape may look simple, but there are several different combination tapes and tension strengths that a person who has been trained will know how to do and do it effectively.Taping yourself is not recommended. It is worth going to someone who can effectively tape you, and the longevity of the tape can be up to more than five days if you go to someone who has been trained in the kinesio taping method.