Matt Cummings is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist in our South Kansas City clinic. He’s been an OT for nine years, and a CHT for about two years. He got his Undergraduate and Masters degrees from the University of Missouri, making him one of the many Mizzou Tigers fans here at ARC Physical Therapy+.
Meet OT/CHT Matt Cummings in our South Kansas City clinic. He shows us how kinesio-tape can be used to relieve pain, facilitate muscles and stabilize joints. #OTMonth #ARCPTplus
Posted by ARC Physical Therapy+ on Friday, April 27, 2018
With many of the patients Matt sees, he provides therapy with kinesio tape. Kinesio taping is a technique used to either help facilitate muscles, inhibit muscles, or stabilize joints.
According to kinesiotaping.com: “This method is a definitive rehabilitative taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion as well as providing extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting.”
Kinesio tape can alleviate general pain, facilitate muscles that aren’t working properly, or stabilize a lax joint. For example, if a patient has tennis elbow or other overused muscles, Matt can use the tape to inhibit those muscles and relieve the immediate pain.
When applying the tape, Matt first rounds the edges, then cuts it and applies it according to the purpose of the tape. For lateral epicondylitis, for example, the tape is applied starting at the elbow and pulled down the forearm to attach at your fingers to inhibit the muscles.
Most people wear the kinesio tape as long as their skin allows them to. With drier skin, the adhesive will stay on for two to three days. For people with more oil in their skin, it lasts about six hours. Often it comes off on its own, especially in the shower.
If you are in need of pain relief on your upper extremity or other occupational therapy needs, contact Occupational Therapist Matt Cummings in our South Kansas City clinic at (816) 877-0561.
