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KINESIOLOGY TAPE
Kinesiology tape aids recovery by opening up (dilating) the vessels in body tissue. Enhancing the circulatory system allows the body to aid recovery by bringing more oxygenated blood to the damaged tissue and allowing the lymphatic system to carrying away the bodies repair cells and tissue. Opening the vessels in the tissue also reduces the pressure on the pain receptors and helps reduce swelling.
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Developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase in Japan during the 70's. He developed the Kinesio Taping® technique when searching for sports tape to assist in the healing of traumatised tissue and muscles.
APPLYING KINESIOLOGY TAPE - The Basics
The principle of dilating the tissue comes from effective use of the tape. Our AVO+ Kinesiology Tapes feature high quality pressure sensitive adhesives from Henkel®. This ensures that our Kinesiology Tape is designed to last, not become unstuck or loose during the most intense workout or swim.
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ANCHORING BOTH ENDS IS VITAL
The secret to success in using Kinesiology tape comes from an effective ANCHOR at either end of the tape application. This provides the basis to allow tension to be maintained in the tape as you body moves and ensures your vascular system is maximising its ability to support the damaged tissue. These anchors are lengths of tape approximately 50mm or 2 inches long of unstretched tape at either end of the application.
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Application Basics in 9 easy steps
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Smooth Skin - Shave, trim or remove excess hair from the entire application area as this will provide the correct basis for the tape to adhere and move with your body without hairs being caught in the tape, which can cause undue pain.
Clean your skin - For optimal performance the skin should be free from any lotion or product. Using an appropriate rubbing alcohol or proprietary skin cleaner to ensure that the area is clean. This will also remove any residue of hair removal and the products used.
Tape preparation - the tape length will be determined by the area of the body you are looking to support. It will also depend on how you are constructing your support. You may need to prepare shorter and longer lengths. A simple guide until you are used to the tape is to cut a length 80% of the length of where you intend to start and finish. Regular user of the tape will become accustomed to the lengths required.
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Remember 5cm / 2 inches each end will be anchor points that should not be stretched.
Cutting the corners - if you round the corner of the tape before application it is less likely to snag and peel back on clothing or foreign bodies. Sharp corners will often snag and peel back the tape.
Cutting to fit - For certain applications cutting the tape will allow for a larger variety of shapes that can follow different joints, such as the kneecap, to improve performance and movement. This is best done ahead of application by folding the tape and cutting down the middle. For more examples of how to cut the tape, visit out cutting guide here.
Initial Anchor application - Avoid touching the adhesive backing, this will dramatically reduce the stickiness of the tape. Peel back approximately 5 cm / 2 inches for the initial anchor point, leaving the backing tape on the rest of the strip. Place the anchor point on the skin no less than 50mm / 2 inches away from the affected area. Rub the anchor onto the skin to bond. This glue is used as friction adhesive so the more you rub the greater the adhesion, it can be enhanced by hot air from an appropriate appliance.
Applying the tape to the affected area - Peeling off the backing from the tape, apply pressure to stretch the length by around 20%, slowly and purposefully apply the tape into position. Maintain the pressure to equal lengths either side of the injury. Once this is in position release the pressure to create the opposing anchor point with zero tension.
Rub the tape to create good adhesion - Once applied correctly you should feel a slight difference in the area of the extended tape. First time users may need to rub, for ten seconds or more, the application to ensure that the adhesive sticks. Frequent users will become familiar to how to improve or reduce the adhesion levels.
Repeat to create multi directional support - Depending on the muscle area or body part, it is important to apply tape to ensure that the area is supported in each direction needed. For optimal recovery the tissue shall be opened up in as many directions as possible. For optimal support the tape should be used in line with the normal direction of movement and/or any potential adverse direction of movement.
AVO+ KINESIOLOGY TAPE OPTIONS
We offer Kinesiology Tape in a number of formats and colours so depending on your experience with Kinesiology Tape it should be easy to chose the right option for you. Do ensure that you consult a physician or specialist for application instructions for your injury before using AVO+ Kinesiology Tape.
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Colours
We believe in choice, offering a wide assortment of colours and will look to launch our very own design.
Please note, all colours of tape act the same.
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Continuous Roll
Offering the most flexible option to users, this allows you to customise the length of your tape to fit. With 5m / 16.4ft of tape set in its own dispensing packaging it is the perfect solution for those seeking multiple lengths of application.
Pre-Cut Options - 25cm/10 inches
Our pre-cut options are either off the roll in a dispensing box, or pre-cut into strips that are packaged flat pack to reduce bulky size and avoid damage when in your bag, perfect for on the go. With the radius on the corner already cut it helps prevent the tape peeling off. These can be cut down to size if the area being applied to is smaller than the length provided. The length required will always be unique to your body and area of application.
Like any high performance tape or adhesive bandage it is designed to stay stuck. The downside is that it will stick to anything between the tape and your skin such as body hair. It is advised that any area you plan to tape you remove any excess body hair. This will significantly improve comfort and also allow for easier removal. If the tape is not removed correctly this will result in possible hair loss (if not removed before) and can be very painful. Please follow our suggestion for removal in each section.