Taping is a relatively new phenomenon that is increasingly gaining mainstream popularity because of its wide range of uses for both training and recovery purposes. In this blog, we will look specifically at the benefits that taping can have on your feet.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is the swelling of the ligaments that run along the bottom of your feet, between the heels and the toes. This condition develops when the ligaments are torn by being repeatedly overstretched. This can occur for a number of reasons, with some of the primary examples being long-distance running, obesity, and bad gait.
There are a number of reasons that taping can be helpful in treating problems like Plantar fasciitis. Firstly, the way these types of kinesio tapes are made is intended to mimic the elasticity of human skins & muscles. This helps to prevent any further damage or tears by restricting how far the tendons can stretch. In addition to this, these tapes are designed to lift the skin they are applied to, which encourages blood and lymph flow. This helps to speed up recovery time, not just for issues like Plantar fasciitis, but for a wide range of issues that can affect any part of the body.
Extensor Tendonitis
Sticking to the subject of feet, another example of a common foot problem is that of Extensor tendonitis, which is the inflammation of the tendons on the top of our feet. One of the main causes of this condition is running uphill or downhill, or running on slippery surfaces. Poor fitting shoes or shoes that are too tight can also lead to this condition. Extensor tendonitis is one of the main causes for pain felt on top of the feet, and can benefit from the use of taping in the same way that Plantar fasciitis can.
Recovery
Due to the fact that taping can help conditions like those mentioned above, recovery time is greatly decreased for a number of issues. This not only allows people to resume their desired level of physical activity sooner, but also prevents the situation from deteriorating, which would cause the damage to become more serious and possibly more long-term.
Prevention
In addition to the recovery benefits of taping, there is a whole host of ways in which taping can be used as a preventative measure. As mentioned earlier, kinesio tape is designed not only to mimic the elasticity of human skin and muscle, but also to encourage the flow of blood and lymph. As well as preventing damage from overstretching, this makes training a smoother and more effective process, which then leads to a better physical condition, which in turn makes people less likely to sustain an injury.
Another way that taping can be used to prevent damage to the feet is by providing support that is purely physical. Flat feet and fallen arches are a prominent problem in today’s society for a number of reasons, such as shoes that are low quality, or the preference of fashion over function. Taping can help to undo a certain amount of this damage if it has already taken place, but is also commonly used by people who may be at risk of developing fallen arches. Taping does this by providing the support that the shoes, or lack thereof, do not.
To learn more about how taping can benefit other parts of the body, check out this blog on The Benefits of Taping.