There are many websites and tutorials that instruct on application of K tape. Depending on how it is applied, it can act to inhibit overactive muscles, facilitate contraction of underactive muscles, reduce swelling, provide support, or enhance proprioception. Originally developed in Japan, K tape lifts the skin, enhancing function of the muscles, joints, fascia, and lymphatic system.
Should you wear knee brace to bed skin#
K tape, which is very different from traditional athletic tape, is designed to mimic the elasticity of human skin and allow full range of motion while still providing its therapeutic benefits. If you have been to a road race or watched the Olympics the past few years, you are familiar with the brightly colored elastic tape known as kinesiotape (K tape). The patella brace is often recommended for chondromalacia, patellar hypermobility (loose knee caps), or post-surgically for return to activity. It can also be used for runner’s knee or minor sprains. The hole in the brace will encompass the knee cap and help to keep it on track.Ī compressive knee sleeve is most useful for conditions that might cause a mild amount of swelling around the knee, like a bruised knee or mild arthritis. Certain conditions will cause the knee cap to track improperly, causing irritation around the knee joint. The patella brace, or any knee sleeve with a hole in it, is designed to support the kneecap. It also provides a significant amount of proprioceptive feedback to the brain, helping to keep the body at a heightened level of awareness that the knee might need a little extra help. This is helpful to manage mild swelling around the knee and keep blood flowing to the muscles that support the knee (quadriceps). The first is that it provides compression (if it’s made of compressive material). The knee sleeve serves two major purposes. The two most common are the knee sleeve (no holes) and the patella brace (sleeve with a hole in it). There are braces with holes in them, no holes, metal hinges, gel pads, some with straps, and some without! Sometimes, choosing a knee brace can be a little overwhelming. Some braces are used prophylactically to help prevent injury (think of those big knee braces on football linemen) and others are used for support and increased comfort while performing activity. Some are used post-operatively to prohibit certain dangerous motions while the patient is recovering. There are many different braces on the market. The conditions that straps are most commonly used for are patellar tendonitis, runner’s knee, chondromalacia, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and IT Band friction syndrome. It provides feedback to the brain to help keep the muscles that support the knee on a heightened level of alert. Another added benefit to a strap is its proprioceptive effect on the knee joint. When placed above the knee, they function to help reduce stress on the area where the IT Band tends to get tight and create friction around the knee. The major function of them is to help spread pressure across a larger area and take stress off of the sore area of the patellar tendon (tendon on the bottom of the knee). These band-like devices wrap around the bottom of the knee (sometimes above the knee) and apply pressure to the tendon. If the only thing you are doing to address the discomfort you are experiencing is wearing a brace, you are missing a huge part of the equation towards actually getting rid of your injury! Today, the focus will be on common knee conditions and how supportive devices may help.īefore we start talking about braces, it is important to acknowledge that they do not cure an injury, they simply offer support to the involved joints and muscles.
They each function a little differently and some are more appropriate for specific conditions than others. There are a variety of braces, straps, and tape on the market. It depends on what the diagnosis is, what’s causing it, how much pain you’re in, and how much you are compensating for your current injury. In certain cases, a supportive device may be beneficial. Have you had a sore, achy knee throughout your summer training? As many people begin their countdowns to their goal races this Fall, the question of whether or not a brace, strap, or tape will help get them through their race seems to pop up. Straps, Braces, and Tape: Should I wear them?
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