Taping knees for support Ehlers Danlos Syndrome kinesio

 I will have to start with a cautionary warning: Have your physical therapist, Ortho, or other professional medical team members show you how to properly apply taping for your needs as each person will have slightly different needs.  Also, there are tips and tricks that you won't intuitively know, so it really is key to have a professional walk you through this once before taking over at home. Finally, before using any tape product, your team will likely want to do a test patch to make sure your skin can handle the adhesive and fabric.

My daughter's knees starting giving her a lot of trouble in elementary school. When we walk for more than a couple blocks, her knees, ankles, or hips would begin to give so much pain and instability that she would need to stop, sit, or just go home. The change came along with her growth spurts and the laxity that allows her joints to move too far in the wrong directions.  As for the knee, itself, that patella wants to slide out with far too much ease. The taping is only a mild support, and it won't help with more severe problems, but when combined with my daughter's level of ability and ongoing exercises through PT and walking, we find that the Kinesio Tape helps when used as a preventive. How do we use it? We utilize the Patellar alignment model illustrated in combination with good posture, supportive orthotics and supportive shoes. By combining these, she is able to do a bit more and go a bit farther than she could, otherwise. It is a good precaution to take before she uses the elliptical, or before we attempt a longer amount of walking than average. 

If her knees worsened, the medical team has a supportive brace that they would have her use, but for now, she is able to work with this very minimal intervention and continue increasing strength, bit by bit.

As you already know, movement, exercise, and strengthening are key components to success with ehlers danlos syndrome. Having a knowledgeable team is the missing link, to be sure. We have been very happy with the medical team we have established around the Chicago area. One thing we learned, early on, was that using too much support in the form of braces quickly creates more problems than we started with, so we opt to use the minimal support needed and we strive to exercise, in some form, every day. Since my daughter is still a kid, it is most effective when we turn this into a family effort to help keep her on task, and to keep all of us mindful of staying healthy.
Some of the tips our PT gave us was to rub the area where applying the tape to create friction, which allows it to stick better.  Also, bending the knee (see the bolster under left knee) and pulling slightly when applying.  The PT recommended cutting the tape in rounded edges to prevent it from rolling up. Again, when you meet with your support team, they can show you, in person, how to do this. It could be that for your needs, a different approach or tape would be required.

We also have instruction for using a thicker two layer tape for shoulder support, which I will add next. That did not work for us, but some one else may find the information useful, so I will add it to the blog.
As for the finished result, you can see the pink tape knees on the right. This is the method that works best for my child, and the tape has not damaged her skin, which is fantastic. I hope this idea is something that you may find helpful to discuss with your team!