After Olympic athlete Kerri Walsh injured her shoulder, she didn't rely on a brace or traditional white athletic tape to support her throughout her volleyball matches. Instead, she sported black crisscross fabric tape at the 2008 Olympic Games that had viewers squinting at their televisions wondering if she was making a fashion statement or if the black tape had a medical purpose. Known as Kinesio tape, this special fabric tape has since been spotted on athletes like Lance Armstrong and David Beckham.
History
Although Kinesio tape was widely noticed at the 2008 Olympics, Dr. Kenzo Kase invented the tape more than 25 years before the Games. Kase, a practitioner of traditional Japanese and modern medicine, developed the tape after observing the restrictions traditional athletic tape created for an injured person. Instead of taping the joint itself, Kase proposed that Kinesio tape should tape around injured or painful muscles to support the joint. He created the Kinesio tape out of soft, elastic fabric designed to feel like an added layer of skin. This aspect of Kinesio tape was intended to make wearing tape more comfortable for athletes.
Kinesio vs. Traditional Taping
Traditional athletic tape is used to provide added support following injury. Take the example of a sprained ankle. Traditional athletic tape would be used to wrap around the ankle and foot for stabilization. However, the wrapping can affect or impede blood flow, which can be detrimental to healing. By contrast, Kinesio taping is a nonrestrictive taping form that does not affect circulation. Kinesio taping also provides for greater range of motion while still supporting the injured area.
Taping Methods
Kinesio taping is designed for layering in special applications, typically in "I," "X" or "Y" patterns that lift and reposition injured muscles and other soft tissues. To learn the science behind Kinesio taping, physical therapists can take courses led by Certified Kinesio Taping Instructors. Although the tape is available in black, pink, blue and beige, the colors do not affect the tape's resistance label.
Benefits
Kinesio tape is designed to offer a variety of benefits to wearers that extend beyond the day's athletic performance. Because the tape is designed to encourage lymph and blood-flow circulation, it can facilitate healing. During athletic activity, Kinesio tape may help reduce pain and prevent further injury because the muscles and joints are positioned in a more correct position.
References
- Kinesio Taping: Kinesio Taping Method
- Kinesio Taping in Canada: What Does Kinesio Taping Do?
- Live Well Chiropractic Spa & Acupuncture Center; Treating Summer Sports & Repetitive Stress Injuries; Dr. Roger Berton; June 2009
- The New York Times; A Quirky Athletic Tape Gets Its Olympic Moment; Tara Parker-Pope; Aug. 19, 2008
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