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To recap from the first post and update:
I have experienced mild to moderate pain in my Achilles heel/tendon for the past several weeks. The pain shows up after a prolonged rest period following a run. e.g., the next morning after a run. The pain appeared roughly the same time I purchased a new pair of running shoes.
My sister gifted me some Kinesiology Tape which purports to, "Help relieve pain & support muscles," so I decided to try it out and pass along my findings.
There are specific methods of taping for different types of muscle pain. I searched for videos on how to apply the tape for Achilles Heel/Tendon pain and ended up with a "Y" strip taping similar to what is seen in the picture below (Not my leg):
Soon after taping the leg, I felt less discomfort in the area I had been experiencing pain in. i.e., the point where the top of the heel bone meets the tendon.
I took two days of rest (no running) and the pain dissipated to almost none by the end of the rest period.
I ran the morning of the third day with the new pair of running shoes and had no pain while running; However, around 5 hours post run, after a period of inactivity, the pain was just as intense as it had been at it's worst before I started using the Kinesio tape. The pain continued to intensify that evening to the point that I finally decided to take ibuprofen. A couple of hours afterwards, the pain had nearly disappeared and the next morning, I had no pain.
The next day was my long run. As I really began to suspect the new shoes at this point, I ran in some trusty "old" Brooks Adrenalines that I had been running in for two years and had approximately 650 miles on. The 9 mile run went beautifully. The first half mile, I experienced some mild pain, but from there on out, nothing. Of course, the real test would be the inactivity following the run. I experienced absolutely no heel pain that evening, and none the following day.
The following day was a rest day and I continued to feel no pain.
At this point, the tape had started to peel a bit from the back of the leg, to the point that it was irritating. I decided to take the tape off at this point and not to apply more.
The next two days, I did 4 & 7 mile runs with my previous Asics which had approximately 750 miles on them and once again experienced no pain during or after the runs.
At this time, I was pain free for 5 days so I decided it was time to try the new shoes again. Sure enough, the heel pain showed up again after the run, though not nearly as intense as it had been.
So, here is my take on the Kinesiology Tape:
The Claim:
"Helps relieve pain & support muscles" The tape "... lifts the skin to help maintain flexibility, improve circulation..." "...pressure and irritation are decreased to help alleviate pain"
My experience:
There is some validity to the claim that the tape helps maintain flexibility. It functions similarly to a larger brace but with much less bulk and significantly less support. The results is, as you would expect, a modicum of support with a large amount of flexibility. Whether, this combination will be sufficient to provide noticeable relief for the wearer depends greatly on the type and location of the pain. For me, the benefits were noticeable, but were not significant; However, I could envision many muscular ailments that would benefit greatly from the use of the tape.
The Claim:
"Stays on in water" & "Wearable up to 5 days"
My experience:
The tape absolutely stays on in water. I had the tape on for a period of 6 days and was impressed with how well it adhered to the skin even after several showers. After the first 3 days, there was a bit of the tape that came up from the sole of my foot, but I think this was mostly due to the motion of walking while I was wearing socks and shoes at work. When I took off my socks that evening, the edge of the tape got stuck to the sock, so I simply snipped off the small part that had come unstuck and was surprised to find that the remainder stayed firmly attached to the skin.
The tape was indeed wearable for 5 days; In fact, it wasn't until the 6th day that the tape began to pull up a bit from the back of the Achilles tendon. I was again impressed.
The Claim:
"Comfortable" & "Breathable"
My experience:
Again, absolutely true. I was skeptical, especially as the area I taped involved the tape stretching down the back of my calf and onto the sole of my foot. It honestly felt like there was nothing there as far as having something stuck to my skin even when the muscles were stretched. I was once again, surprised and impressed.
In Summary: I would definitely recommend the Kinesiology tape for certain muscle ailments. I believe that it does give a level of support while continuing to allow for an extremely free range of motion. This is especially beneficial to athletes; However, I also believe that the tape only treats the symptoms and that rest and/or other methods of treatment should be sought out for continued muscle pain and discomfort. I'll definitely hold on to the remainder of the roll for use as minor support for muscle related soreness that I experience from time to time in my running activities.
