Kinesio Tape for Athletes: A Big Help, or Hype?
Are there medical benefits to the strips of tape used by many Olympic athletes?
Reviewed by Sheena Meredith, MD
They’ve been hard to miss at this year’s Olympic Games: Strips of brightly colored tape adorning the arms, legs, and torsos of many top athletes. But more than just fashion is driving this trend.
The tape is called Kinesio tape. Many athletes believe it has medical benefits.
The tape was invented by Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase in the 1970s. The U.K. web site for Kinesio tape claims it can alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, relax muscles, enhance performance, and help with rehabilitation as well as supporting muscles during a sporting event.
There has not been conclusive scientific or medical evidence to confirm the effectiveness of the tape. A review of evidence from 10 research papers for Kinesio tape to treat and prevent sports injuries was published in the journal Sports Medicine in February.
No clinically important results were found to support the tape’s use for pain relief. There were inconsistent range-of-motion results. Seven outcomes relating to strength were beneficial. The tape had some substantial effects on muscle activity, but it was not clear whether these changes were beneficial or harmful.
The study concluded there was tiny quality evidence to support the use of Kinesio tape over other types of elastic taping to manage or prevent sports injuries.
Some experts have suggested there may be a placebo effect in using the tape, with athletes believing it will be helpful.
“The jury is still out on the hard and fast science of it,” states John Brewer, head of sport and exercise sciences and director of sport at the University of Bedfordshire in the U.K.
He finds it difficult to comprehend how the tape can help: “When we exercise, it is muscles that are deep down in the body that are as much part of the energy-generating process as muscles near the skin.
“I’m still struggling to come to terms with how tape that is placed on skin can have any real, major effect on performance, other than potentially, a psychological effect.”
He states the tape may help as part of an athlete’s personal habits in preparation for an event: “The actual putting on of the tape sometimes is nearly part of that ritual. It’s nearly part of their uniform for the sport that they are doing, part of their kit. It makes them feel ready for action.”
Brewer states if athletes think the tape will help support their muscles, then that can boost their confidence. “I think if you can get somebody in the right frame of mind, then that can make a huge difference on what they do.
“But for me, there is not any firm evidence yet to suggest the tape really does work, other than the anecdotal evidence from some athletes who say: ‘Yes, it works for us.’”
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Submited at Saturday, August 11th, 2012 at 8:15 am on Uncategorized by sofia
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