Dec 14, 2022 by Caroline Sprott

You can't say it often enough: Self-management is the be-all and end-all for us compression wearers. In addition to manual lymphatic drainage, compression, the right skin care and lots of exercise, self-management is one of the five pillars in the complex physical decongestion (CPE) of the lipedema / lymphedema. But self-management in particular can sometimes be neglected in stressful everyday life. That's why it's all the nicer that there are also aids such as lymph tapes that you hardly have to spend any time on.

Lymph tape - what is it?

Kinesiology tapes were invented in Japan in the 1970s and are now used worldwide. They are known to be used for sports injuries and in physical therapy in general. The advantage of the tapes is that they are easy to use and can be applied to most parts of the body without help .

Not only can you support and stabilize joints, fascia, ligaments and muscles, but you can also use it in self-management for lipoedema and lymphoedema. The colorful tapes are stuck to the skin, which exerts tension on the connective tissue and stimulates the lymph flow when you move.

Does that really help?

Findings from smaller studies and community experience show that lymphtaping can bring about significant improvements in pain, tightness, and heaviness . It is practical that you can put on the tapes and then leave them on the skin for up to a week - the tapes have the greatest effect in the first three to five days. Don't worry: you can swim, bathe and shower normally with your lymph tapes and sweat is no problem either. With the stylish colors and designs, you can also bring a little extra glamor and a good mood into your everyday life (the Monkey's Breakfast design is particularly recommended for banana lovers: inside).

Danger!

Kinesiotape should only be used on intact skin. ( Skin care baby, one more time. ) In addition, allergies to the glue should be ruled out.

Application

Before putting it on, you should remove dirt and also creams, oils, etc. from the corresponding skin areas - if necessary, again with alcohol. This way you can be sure that your lymph tapes stay where you want them to be. You can use the tapes e.g. B. on the legs, arms and also on the stomach, there are various possibilities. In any case, you should make sure that the base of the tape is in the drainage area. You can find application tips either in Henry A. Schulze’s guide “The Little Coach for the Lymphatic System” , in this blog article by Ursula or on YouTube, e.g. B.

The best thing to do is to just try it out and, as always, see what works for YOU. Our bodies are as different as we flat-knit heroes are, and there is no one-size-fits-all formula. If you now feel like trying out the tape yourself, take a look at the Power Sprotte online shop and choose the right lymph tape in your favorite color or design.