Olympic beach volleyball players drew attention this year with colored stripes of  “Kinesio Tape.” The non-invasive therapy involves taping over and around muscles with special responsive tape in order to send important neuromuscular signals that enhance performance and healing of injuries.

This cutting-edge sports medicine technique has increased in popularity over the past few years, but has been well known to students and physicians at National University of Health Sciences since its invention. This is because the inventor of Kinesio Taping, Dr. Kenzo Kase, is a 1974 DC graduate of National University!

National University faculty member, Dr. Carlo Guadagno, treated this year’s Olympic athletes with Kinesio Tape as part of the interdisciplinary sports medicine team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“I teach kinesiotaping methods and have used this technique for years including these past two weeks while on the staff at the at the 2016 Olympics (link to his story when posted),” says Dr. Guadagno. “It is helpful when a tiny advantage could make the difference in the outcome of a race. Originally it was taught that the tape would either stimulate or inhibit muscle contraction by the direction of the taping. We now believe that the tape mostly affects proprioception and afferentation (sensory input from different parts of the body).”

Kinesio Taping can be used for both athletes and non-athletes, and the tape can be worn 24 hours per day. It is commonly used by chiropractic physicians, physical therapists and trainers to treat overuse injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and low back pain, rotator cuff impingement, bursitis, and inflammation.

(photos) Dr. Guadagno trains DC students on how to use KT tape at
sports medicine outreach events like the Disney World Marathon.

The university not only trains its current chiropractic students in proper taping for patient care as part of their clinical science curriculum, but also offers the treatment to patients in its university Whole Health Center clinics in both Illinois and Florida.

National University is proud of its contributions to the field of chiropractic sports medicine: whether in its curriculum, by alumni like Dr. Kenso Kase, and through the many faculty and graduates who treat athletes all over the world in neighborhood practices or at Olympic Training Centers!