After watching the 1st few days of the US Track and Field Championship this weekend I noticed a new trend in track fashion…Kinesio Tape. Numerous sprinters and jumpers were taped up and not all seemed for a purpose. Sure several had their hamstrings or quads taped and even the US Women’s Champ in the 400m, Allyson Felix, had her injured ankle taped, but some just appeared to be placed on random muscles. Why?

Ever since Kerri Walsh and Misty May crushed their opponents at the Olympics in 2008, Kinesio Taping has grown (you can now buy it in any almost color you wish). This is because Keri Walsh did so while sporting Kinesiotape on her shoulder. People assume if it works for an Olympian, then it will certainly work for me.

To this I say…Maybe

The literature reports many potential benefits of the tape and its usage. However, do those publishing stand to benefit (by selling product)? Is there bias in the findings?

In light of these questions, I went in search for Kinesio Tape’s potential benefit.

What I found was a great deal of uncertainty regarding its benefit that could not be quantified. Numerous body regions were assessed in these studies including: shoulder, knee, foot/ankle and lower back. Larger scale systematic reviews and meta-analyses (viewed as the highest level of evidence) could not give their support. The best support for Kinesio Tape came in the form of small case studies and case reports (there is the risk of bias and inability to draw conclusions in these types of publications). What many of the reports did state was there MAY be a potential short-term benefit relative to pain reduction. Also taping appeared better than sham or placebo interventions.

What does this mean? Should taping be a part of my physical therapy program or for athletic performance?

To this I ask, what do you think? If you think a benefit will happen, then maybe it is worth it. If however, you do not think it will do anything, then it probably won’t. There very well may be a large placebo component at play here that just cannot be quantified or studied well scientifically.

So, is there harm in using it? Not unless you have a latex allergy.

Benefit? Maybe.

Bottom line, Kinesio Tape is not, nor will not be a miracle cure. It may enable you to have some less pain and function or perform better in the short-term. There will be no short cut or substitute for addressing your deficits in range of motion, strength or flexibility. A physical therapist can point you in the best direction to address your issues and help you regain your desired function.