Neuromuscular taping
Neuromuscular banding Kinesiology Tape
Neuromuscular band silk or rayon
Neuromuscular Tape Original
Cross Tape
Acutop Neuromuscular Band – Sportstex
Neuromuscular taping does something nothing else in this section manages: it keeps working after the patient has left.
The tape is applied to the skin at a set tension and stays there for days, giving the area continuous input. In speech therapy it is applied over facial musculature, floor of mouth and neck, and it can either facilitate weak musculature or offload a hypertonic one, depending on how it is laid down.
Tape. Acu Top, Acu Top multipacks, Tape Original and Tape Original XXL, plus Sport tape for areas needing stronger adhesion.
Cross Tape. Lattice patches for point application, with their placement tweezers, for working on specific points rather than a whole muscle belly.
Instruments. Curved scissors made for cutting tape — essential for the small shapes the face requires — and tape removal solution, which avoids pulling on thin skin.
Skin prep. Facial cleansing wipes: without degreasing, tape will not hold on a sebaceous area.
Training. Manual of neuromuscular taping applied to speech therapy. Facial technique is not improvised from a sports manual: the muscles are small, superficial and arranged differently.
Point stimulation during the session is in vibration and electrostimulation. The active work the tape supports is in lips, tongue and more.
What the tape does
Neuromuscular tape does not immobilise. The opposite: it is designed to allow movement and to alter the information the skin sends while that movement happens.
Applied under tension, the tape creates folds as the muscle shortens. Those folds stimulate cutaneous receptors continuously, and that constant input is what is being used.
In practice it is applied with three aims: to facilitate hypotonic musculature, to inhibit hypertonic musculature, and to give proprioceptive input to an area with reduced sensation.
Why a face is not a knee
Facial musculature is superficial, inserts into skin rather than bone, and the muscle bellies are very small. That changes three things compared with sports taping:
The cuts. Strips are narrow and short, often shaped. Hence the curved scissors: straight ones struggle to make a clean cut at that size.
The tension. Far less than on large musculature. Too much tension on the face does not facilitate — it pulls.
The duration. Facial skin is thinner and more exposed. Wear time is shorter and removal must be done with solution, never dry.
Facilitate or inhibit: direction decides
The classic rule is that direction of application changes the effect: origin to insertion to facilitate, insertion to origin to inhibit.
The evidence on the size of that effect is debated, and it is worth saying so: taping is an adjunct to active work, not a substitute. What is clear in clinical practice is that it keeps the patient connected to the area between sessions, and that has value in itself.
Common questions
How long is the tape left on?
On the face, less than elsewhere on the body: typically one to three days, monitoring skin tolerance. Always remove with the specific solution.
Can it get wet?
Yes, it is water resistant. Pat it dry rather than rubbing, because the edge is the first thing to lift.
Is training required?
Yes. The technique as applied to speech therapy has its own criteria and does not transfer directly from sports taping. The manual in this category exists for exactly that reason.
Are there contraindications?
Not over open wounds, irritated or infected skin, or in people with a known acrylic adhesive allergy. With very fragile skin, test a small strip first.