2019

Does Kinesio Tape Really Work?

Does Kinesio Tape Really Work?
If the colorful tape used at the Olympics caught your interest, then I am sure you must know about Kinesio tape. During the therapeutic taping, vibrant colored tapes get placed near the shoulder and legs of athletes who want to prevent injuries from happening.

While an adhesive tape stuck to your skin hardly seems like an efficient remedy for aches and pains, many people claim that Kinesio tapes work miracles for athletes.

What is Kinesio tape? And does it really work?




Therapeutic taping has been in practice for many years now, but only recently, brands such as Kinesio popularized the culture with their brilliant strategy of using colorful tapes.

Kinesio tapes, made from light, thin and stretchy fabrics are often used by athletes to ease pain and enhance performance. As this study shows, KT prevents musculoskeletal injuries, by stimulating neuromuscular proprioception, which means that a network of motion sensors in our muscles and tendons that tell us more specifically where our limbs are and how they are moving while exercising.

Many believe that by elevating the surface of the skin away from injured tissues, the tape helps improve blood flow and lymphatic drainage which in turn supports faster healing. While some say there is no sufficient scientific evidence to back up the claims of the brand, many users and experts argue that the tape works wonders.

Why do athletes use the tape?


There are three primary reasons for which most athletes use the Kinesio tapes: to prevent and treat injuries and enhance performance .

How KT Prevents Injury


Continuous training causes a cumulative load on the tissues. By using   Kinesiology Tapes , we add support to the tissues that will also reduce the risk of higher impact during a traumatic injury. In most cases, the tape prevents incorrect movements that might shift stress to certain areas of the body which could lead to permanent damages. For those who want to prevent calf cramps, the use of the KT was also seen as efficient by triathletes during physical tests.

[tweet_box design="box_3"]The tape prevents incorrect movements that might shift stress to certain areas of the body which could lead to permanent damages.[/tweet_box]

How it Helps Treat Injury


Kinesio tape has been particularly effective against reducing chronic musculoskeletal pain. This inference is in comparison to other interventions such as ice packs etc.

The material used in the tape is both durable and comfortable to wear during an event which means masking the pain becomes easier. Many experts claim that the tape helps reduce the pain load in the tissues and also aids in healing.

How effective is Kinesio Tape?


Kinesio tape is most effective when used as a pain reliever. It has shown significant results as a safe alternative for pain relief in case of sports injuries. Kinesio tape has been effective against treating musculoskeletal injuries and pain where various cases reported with positive results backing its effectiveness, and the firm grip of the tape to the skin is the possible reason behind its effectiveness for pain relief.

Gavin Daglish, a physiotherapist at Mike Varney Physiotherapy in Harlow, affirms the fact that the tape works well for pain relief. He says that even though results do not appear immediately, in many of his cases of patients’ pain level subsides over the next 24 -48 hours from the time of application.

In the case of a 45-year old weightlifter he had, the tape has also been the most effective for lower back pain in combination with other back relief products. He believes that its design follows the shape of the body, and thus alleviates pain and lowers the friction level between the tissues in the skin.

Jeremy Parker from Six Physio in London also claims that he has seen great results while using Kinesio tape for toning muscles down. Because of the elastic nature of the tape, he sees the effects of using KT entirely different from using traditional taping techniques.



But expecting effectiveness in fixing any dysfunctional biomechanics or attempting to correct the movement or position of any body part may not be a Kinesio tape's job. In fact, the claim that Kinesio tape lifts the skin to enhance blood circulation has no evidence. And unlike popular theories, there are no particular directions of application of the tape that enables activation of the muscles either.

This particular study used Kinesio tape to treat athletes suffering from ankle sprains. Even after three days of application, there were no significant changes in the swelling, and a recent review also confirmed that claims of performance enhancement by Kinesio tape is merely superficial.

Many say that the effect of the tape is a simple placebo effect, which only boosts the confidence of many athletes to perform better in the arena. The fact that the tape promises to enhance performance and act as a pain relief causes a psychological stimulation and comfort that improves their performance.

A particularly interesting experiment attempted to prove the placebo effect of Kinesio tapes. A group of blindfolded volunteers believed that they have Kinesio tapes on their legs although during many sessions the tape was substituted with a simple sticky fabric.

In the end, the performance of the volunteers remained the same whether or not they had the tapes stuck on them, proving at the same time that the effectiveness of the tape would be mostly a placebo effect.



An honest evaluation of Kinesio tapes would assess the fact that the truth lies in the middle, and apart from the hype that surrounds them, Kinesio tapes have real benefits. The evidence that does support the KT pain relief properties encourages athletes to still use these tapes because of the lack of side effects.

Also, like various other therapies, and depending on the individual, Kinesio tapes may or may not be effective because of the very different pain thresholds athletes and nonathletes have.

When treating or preventing different musculoskeletal injuries, blending the use of Kinesio tape with other therapeutic healing methods such as exercises like foam rolling and mobility workout or massage can be an effective way to achieve pain relief and healing.




Author Bio: Jessica Smith

Jessica is an avid reader who enjoys getting lost in the world of books. She co-authored Supercharge Organic Traffic , a popular course focusing on Organic Traffic for E-commerce. Holding on to her passion for fitness, she believes that a healthy diet is essential to living a dynamic life.
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