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WHAT DOES KINESIOLOGY TAPE DO?

Today’s top athletes sport more than just striations and badass tats on their skin; they’re also covered in brightly colored strips of kinesiology tape. Here’s what you need to know to tape like the pros!

Back in 2008 during the Summer Olympic Games, people who tuned in to the beach volleyball competition noticed something a little strange. What was that funny-looking colored tape that some of the athletes were wearing?

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The original Kinesio Tape was invented over 30 years

ago in Japan by chiropractor Dr. Kenzo Kase. Today,

there are several brands offering variations under

the more general title of “kinesiology tape,”

including the popular brands KT Tape andRockTape.

Kinesiology is the scientific study of human

movement. In this spirit, kinesiology taping allows

much greater movement than more rigid traditional

sports taping procedures.

Sports care providers and elite athletes could have told you that what you were looking at was called kinesiology tape. They had been using it for decades, but almost no one else had. In the last few years, though, taping has definitely come down the mountain. Today, it’s an increasingly common sight not only in team sports, but also in more general weight training, running, and cycling.

You can buy high-quality tape in almost any sporting goods store or online, and you don’t need to have a pro help you apply it. Sons can effectively tape up their dad’s golfer’s elbow before a weekend tourney.

Friends tape each other’s lower legs to help with shin splints or calf pain prior to running a 5k. CrossFit athletes apply the tape on their abs and lower backs during training and competition—but so do pregnant women during the third trimester.

Great—but does it work? In my experience as a chiropractor who deals with plenty of athletes, it definitely does. The tape helps speed up the healing process while supporting injured tissues.

It also allows athletes to train with minor muscle injuries while the healing process continues.

If that sounds like what you need to stay off the sidelines, here’s what you should know.

WHAT DOES KINESIOLOGY TAPE DO?

Kinesiology tape is designed to mimic human skin. When placed on a body part, it helps facilitate the body’s natural healing process by lifting the skin away from the muscle fascia, creating space between the blood, lymph, and nerves.

This improves circulation and reduces pressure on sensory and neural receptors, which reduces pain. This method of taping allows more movement than traditional athletic taping for injuries, which is more compressive and limits joint movement. Depending on who you ask, the benefits of kinesiology tape differ slightly. But overall, these are the main benefits people experience:

Muscle and joint support to encourage correct movement and limit compensation due to injury.