Kinesiotape for Knee Pain
Fake it till you make it
"I have no arch" and "my knees dive in" are phrases that I hear on a regular basis from patients describing their concerns. At Boulder Sports Chiropractic, we constantly strive to better our patients with functional restorative movements to correct dysfunctional patterns. However, between the office visits and home exercises, let's fake it 'till we make it.
So what are the benefits of Kinesiotape? It has become all the rage since its major debut to billions of viewers during the 2012 Olympics. In actuality, Kinesiotape has been on the scene helping athletes recover from injury since 1970. Its major uses include lymphatic drainage, accelerated healing of bruises and contusions, joint stabilization, posture correction and aiding in functional movement patterns. (To learn more about Kinesio Tape - click here)
So you lose your arch when you run, which leads to knee pain, shin splints, etc.
There should never be a cookie-cutter approach to treating injuries, and we always advise to get your movement analyzed by a professional using a tool like the SFMA, rather than self-diagnosing. However, there are common movement pairings that frequently occur together, such as the loss of the foot arch and an increase in internal rotation of the leg, or "knee diving" towards the mid-line of the body. Using Tape Kinetics Kinesiology Tape can actually help to restore normal movement and help stimulate the muscles responsible for keeping the arch working.
Kinesiotape can drastically help with knee pain. Try this at home: help support the arch of the foot by recreating the medial sling or 'stirrup' of the foot and lower leg. Take a 8-12" piece of tape and place an anchor on the bottom of your arch. Applying some tension, bring that tape up the inside of your ankle(following the path of the tibialis posterior/flexor digitorum or flexor hallicus) moving to the back of your calf. With a second piece, place another anchor on the inside of the foot. Applying some tension from your arch upward, move up the front of the lower leg (stimulating the tibialis anterior).
With a third piece of tape, place an anchor on the inside of your knee, rotate your hip outward, apply tension toward the outside of your hip.
Now you're ready to get out for a run. Although this won't "fix" the problem, it certainly is a great adjunct to foam rolling and strengthening exercises.
If you're struggling with pain, come see us at Boulder Sports Chiropractic to get a thorough evaluation and an individualized treatment plan to get you out of pain and avoid it in the future! Click here to schedule an appointment.
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For more information our favorite and Boulder based Kinesio Tape, Tape Kinetics, click here!
Boulder Sports Chiropractic
2760 29th St #2b, Boulder, CO 80301