They are as colorful as parrots and promise real miracles. Green, red, yellow or blue tapes should e.g. B. Make migraines and heel spurs disappear, improve tension, back pain, lymphedema, digestive problems and tinnitus. But do the longitudinally elastic, self-adhesive cotton tapes, which contain no chemical additives, really help? In a recent study, Dr. Willem Evermann, naturopathic doctor in Kiel, examined the effect of the tapes on 65 patients. Among other things, they suffered from lumbago, a cervical spine or shoulder-arm syndrome with severe, pulling neck pain, but also from muscle overload or inflammation of the tendon attachment on the shin.
Table of Contents
Faster pain free
The result is surprising. dr Evermann: “In these cases, the tape treatment was clearly superior to physical or medicinal measures.” In the case of acute lumbago, for example, the patients became pain-free within the first three days. In a control group, which received red light, massages and fango packs, on the other hand, only after two weeks of therapy. If the doctor treated a cervical spine syndrome with the tapes, the symptoms disappeared after 24 hours instead of 14 days.
The bright colors of the cotton bands, which are supposed to achieve an additional healing effect through different energetic vibrations, apparently did not play a decisive role. Because in order to prevent patients from autosuggestion according to the motto “red warms” or “blue cools”, Dr. Evermann uniformly provided all study participants with black tape, which tended to trigger negative feelings in the subjects.
Link tip
FürSie.de reports in detail on how taping can help against pain
Nonstop-Massage
The Japanese doctor and chiropractor Kenzo Kase developed Medi-Taping in the 1970s. In Germany, however, the method has only been established for about four to five years – also under names such as “Kinesio-Taping” or “Aku-Taping”. Numerous physicians and physiotherapists are already working with the elastic bands. The 5 centimeter wide tapes look like masking tape that is used for masking when renovating and painting.
Its coated back is made of 100 percent acrylic. The tapes are stretchable like our skin and are usually worn as a “second skin” for several weeks. The theory behind it: During a massage, the physiotherapist moves the skin and subcutaneous fatty tissue. With kinesio taping, on the other hand, the skin is fixed quite a bit. Only the bones, muscles, and tendons can move normally and freely beneath their now rigid framework. With every movement, the skin and tissue under the tape are merely lifted. Lymph and blood flow better, cramped muscles are better supplied with blood, pain hormones are broken down faster.
Is through the Medi-Taping z. For example, if the neck and throat muscles are relaxed, tension headaches or migraine attacks due to muscle blockages are less likely to occur. The quick relief from pain through the tapes also prevents e.g. B. after a lumbago to a permanent relieving posture that delays the healing process. But: “In order to fully understand and prove the effect of Medi-Taping, further investigations are absolutely necessary,” says Dr. Willem Everman. Never on your own! Because the tapes are comparatively cheap at around 10 euros per 4.50 meter roll (cash registers do not pay), more and more people are tending to treat themselves on their own. Better not without exact knowledge of anatomy, experts warn. Doctors and physiotherapists charge from 10 euros per strip. The tension of the bands must not be too strong and not too weak. And plastering your neck should be difficult even for contortionists.
Review
THE PAIN WAS LESS
Imme Bohn, 48, Tolfioow editor
“I have to say one thing first: I’ve had my ‘suffering’ for a long time. I have had pain in my right shoulder and arm for six months. When I heard about Medi-Taping from my treating physiotherapist, I was extremely curious and full of hope. I’m one of those patients who don’t want to take any pills or get any injections. The tape should be an element of the treatment.
When the red plastic strip, about 15 centimeters long, stuck to my right shoulder blade, I felt a slight warmth – as if everything had a stronger blood supply. At first it was still tingling on the skin , but after a few hours I had forgotten the tape. I wore it for ten days. And unfortunately the pain is not gone yet. But they’ve been getting fewer and fewer since the taping.”
