Masking the Pain of Pregnancy with Kinesiology Tape

That extra weight and curvature can cause a myriad of problems. This includes pain from the stretching of the round ligaments (two cord-like structures that connect the front of the uterus to the groin), weakness, separation of her diastasis recti (the 'six-pack' muscles), and inflammation in her pubic symphysis (pelvic girdle pain). It is common for women in my classes to describe these aches using words like burning, lightning, stabbing, and numbing. We discuss potential ways to avoid making the problem worse, such as:

• Using a birth ball when seated
• Sustaining good upright forward posture
• Sleeping with pillows or a knee separator
• And avoiding specific stretches and movements

Care providers often prescribe various treatments, including heat or ice, pain relief medications, maternity support belts, massage, and rest – with varying degrees of success. However, when those treatments don't work, many women turn to Kinesiology tape to enhance stability and aid support. In an interview on the TV Show 'The Doctors', physician Dr Levi Harrison gushed, "…The great thing about the tape is that it can be used for pain, for postural alignment and instability, for joint rehabilitation as well as soft tissue rehabilitation. I've used it effectively for many, many years. I'm a fan".

Dr. Harrison asserts that taping the pregnant belly or back works to decrease pain by increasing the space around tissue cells. Thereby reducing the amount of pressure on pain receptors. In turn, a decrease in pain increases blood flow and decreases inflammation. Finally, the tape increases lymphatic flow – also reducing inflammation.

Doctors can be hesitant to recommend using tape for belly support during pregnancy due to a lack of randomized control trials. A 2015 Scandinavian study explored the effect of physiotherapeutic interventions on pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain. It found maternity belts to be the most effective; however, the study did not evaluate or compare k tape for pregnancy. Women also complain that maternity belts are expensive, make women hot, and decrease blood flow when worn for longer than a few hours. Two recent studies have since been published in the Medical Science Monitor. Both noted significant decreases in the back pain of participants using kinesiology taping strategies. Kinesiology taping is modular, cooler, and can be worn for several days.

As with any treatment, caution should be taken depending on any pregnancy complications and each individual's unique situation. If you try taping, consider the following guidelines:

• Have a specialist physical therapist assess your pain source and tape you first before trying it yourself. After 34 weeks of pregnancy, taping could limit the baby's positioning, so be cautious if the baby is in the breech posterior (back to back) position. Normally a midwife can palpate to determine the baby's lie.
• For most pain points, it is best to tape the woman when she is lying down. This takes the pressure off her bump and allows the tape to be applied with little or no tension.
• Rounding the corners with scissors can prolong the life of the tape (corners tend to fray). The tape featured in this article already comes with rounded corners.
• Bend strips in half to mark the center of the strip and then apply from the middle outward (like a Band-Aid) instead of starting at one end. This can help to equalize the tension.  
• Once applied, gently rub the tape all over to activate the adhesive.

Specialized kinesiology tape can offer pregnant women respite from many of the aches and pain associated with a growing baby's extra weight and is an alternative when other traditional methods have been exhausted.

Although support tape for pregnancy is not yet well studied, most women find relief when applied to a specific region for their particular pain. Pregnancy tape for pain allows freedom of movement, modularity, and can be altered easily, making it excellent belly support while pregnant. Of course, the real cure for most pregnancy ailments is to give birth. However, kinesiology tape can be used throughout an adult's lifetime to reduce pain and inflammation, support weak muscles or relax overused ones.