Despite little scientific evidence, the success of Kinesio tapes’ healing capabilities astonishes even experts. The coloured adhesive strips are becoming an increasingly common appearance amongst athletes. 

Coloured adhesive strips are enjoying great appeal more and more frequently – not only in the amateur sport scene, but also amongst elite athletes. These colourful things stick to necks, calves, or around the knees of athletes. 

The special adhesive strips are called ‘Kinesio tape’ (from kinesis = movement). Depending on how and where they are stuck on – they are intended to alleviate pain, increase mobility, and boost the strength of individual muscle groups and thus improve performance. In contrast to the well-known, rigid, white tapes that, for example, volleyball players use to stick their fingers together, Kinesio tape is elastic. They do not restrict the ability to move but are even meant to promote it. The tapes’ effectiveness is, however, not scientifically proven.

The magic tapes have a direct effect on the skin. As a highly specialised sensory organ, the skin is connected to many organ systems – with fascia, muscles, ligaments, tendons. Via receptors, the skin perceives, for example, changes in tension and transmits them via neural pathways to the brain. The brain processes the information and ‘orders’, for instance, the muscles to react to the changes accordingly. The Kinesio tape can provoke such changes in tension and can thus impact joint and muscle functions. Incorrect movement sequences are meant to be corrected in this manner, eliminating pain. In principle, the tape trains the perception of one’s body via positive sensory information. 

In addition, the tape promises relief – both for vessels and pain receptors. When the tape is applied, waves are formed – referred to as convolutions – which slightly lift the skin. This is meant to improve blood and lymphatic circulation and alleviate pain. One example: if your neck is tense, you often (unknowingly) press the skin and underlying muscles in the direction that relieves pain. This relieves the receptors in the tissue. And that is precisely how the tape works as well.

Amazing effect

The tape is not necessarily affixed where it hurts, but rather where the cause of the problems lies. Kinesio tape can be applied to treat many different problems in sport, such as for knee, shoulder, or back pain, as well as for bruises, pulled muscles, muscle fibre ruptures, after surgery, or as a preventive measure. 

In order to find out where and with which technique the tape needs to be applied, in-depth diagnostics and experience are required. After multiple applications and instructions by a specialist, athletes are also well capable of applying their tapes on their own. 

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