Does Kinesiology Tape Actually Work?

In the marathon, we must have seen some runners with colorful patches on their bodies. Not just running, but even many national team runners have similar tapes on their bodies.

I don't know when more and more runners have been using athletic performance tape. The patching method is also sky high on all parts of the body.

But, what is the actual effectiveness of this tape? Is this tape really useful?

Kinesiology tape

Let's take a brief look at this tape: It is called Kenisiogy Tape and is one of the most common treatments for the prevention, rehabilitation, and improvement of musculoskeletal and joint injuries.

It was first invented by Dr. Kase in Japan in the late 1970s and is named after the prefix "Kinesiology", which is translated as "intramuscular effect" in China. "It is mostly referred to as kinesiology tape, sports tape, physiotherapy tape, etc.

Kinesiology tape is divided into three layers.

The outermost layer is a breathable and elastic waterproof cotton fabric (so the patch can be stretched within a certain limit, up to 130%~150%) the middle layer is usually acrylate hypoallergenic adhesive, and the inner layer is back pro paper.

The adhesive surface of the middle layer is distributed in a water ripple pattern (the width, spacing, wavelength and amplitude of the ripple are specified), and the ripple is also the key technology that officials claim makes the patch work. The glue applied to qualified patches should pass biocompatibility tests and is generally less likely to cause skin irritation and does not contain pharmaceutical ingredients.

It is also because it does not have drug properties, can relieve pain, reduce edema, improve blood circulation, correct posture, can help muscle contraction and relaxation. That's why it's so popular!

But is it really that amazing? Here are 8 points about the findings of clinical studies on kinesiology tape, you must know.

1

The application of kinesiology tape may have some therapeutic effect for possible increases in skeletal muscle strength, but it is not clinically relevant. In some of the studies, there was an increase in peak strength/peak torque in individual muscles, but the tape did not help healthy adults gain strength.

2

A study of healthy individuals using different kinesiology tape application methods at the same sites showed that none of the different taping methods produced easing and inhibition (i.e., no increase in muscle strength).

3

For those who support the idea that kinesio tape has an effect, it comes more from a mental suggestion effect.

4

Kinesio tape may have an injury prevention effect, but these studies do not provide direct measurements of injury prevention.

5

There were even results of no clinical value in a comparative study examining pain relief with kinesio tape.

6

In a study of the effects of kinesio tape on low back pain symptoms, the application of kinesio tape with moderate stretching to create folds in the skin was no more effective than without stretching the patch, a result that directly challenges the mechanism of action of this therapy.

7

The appropriate application of kinesio tape has been shown to be effective in limiting joint range of motion.

8

The current study showed that the application of kinesio tape did not produce higher peak moments and increased work done during joint motion, nor did it reduce the retention time of peak moments during motion in healthy young adults. Therefore, the positive results of previous studies on this wide tape can be attributed to a placebo effect.

Therefore, the psychological comfort effect of kinesio tape is actually greater than the actual physical effect.

Tips

Finally, Kunshan Yuhuan would like to remind you that if you want to use this tape to reduce swelling and pain or to partially restrict joint movement, you must know the correct way to use it and allow your body to adapt to the tape before moving around. If you experience itching or other discomfort in the taped area, or if you change your movement pattern, remove the tape immediately.

Contact: lulu Email:lulu@yhtape.com