Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Kinesio Tape for Torticollis: Round 2

So Kellyn's first application of Kinesio Tape did not seem to improve her torticollis.  It was applied to the affected side of her neck (the side she tilts to) and in a method to encourage muscle relaxation.  After taking a little over a week break from the Kinesio Tape, our physical therapist from the early intervention program tried a different technique on Kellyn.  She applied the tape to the unaffected side of her neck to encourage muscle facilitation.  This makes sense since the unaffected side of Kellyn's neck has weaker muscles.

Baby with torticollis with kinesio tape on her neck
This is the second application of Kinesio Tape on her neck for torticollis.

Within twenty-four hours of the Kinesio Tape being applied, Kellyn's torticollis presentation was looking much less severe.  Now, we have many variables going on right now that could have impacted the improvement: Kinesio Tape, physical therapy, her chiropractic adjustment, a possible break from teething, etc.  I honestly don't care which of these variables helped her, as long as something we are doing is working.  The way I see it is that the kinesio tape carries very little risk of harm and a much greater potential for benefit.  So I think we will continue having it applied.

If you are interested in locating a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP), here's a locator to find one near you.  If you want to learn more information about Kinesio Taping treatment for babies with torticollis, I recommend reading this article.