To determine if a running injury would benefit from the support of kinesiology tape, it’s best to check in with an expert. It’s also important to note that kinesiology taping is not a substitution for rest, which is critical to heal many overuse injuries like stress fractures. Research published in the March 2014 issue of Journal of Physiotherapy declared that the use of kinesiology tape for these conditions was no more effective than “sham taping” with a sticky fabric placebo. The tape is also designed to enhance sensory feedback to muscles, affecting the user’s proprioception, or awareness of how the body moves. Kinesiology tape can be worn for up to five days, if necessary, allowing the wearer to protect an injury without having to take complete rest.īut does it work? That depends. Scientific evidence to support the use of kinesiology taping in the lower extremity has been mostly inconclusive. There seems to be some merit in its ability to reduce pain and improve muscle activation in conditions such as patellofemoral pain syndrome (aka runner’s knee). There is also some evidence that its use can reduce muscle fatigue in the quadriceps when running.īut for other ailments, such as plantar fasciitis or lower back pain, taping may be a waste. The benefit, according to manufacturers, is improved alignment and decreased swelling, achieved by lifting the skin from the underlying muscles and fascia. “It is a rigid, highly adhesive tape that is mostly used to support a structure or restrict its movement.” She adds that this sort of sticky stuff is designed to be worn for less than a day- 18 hours at most.Īlternatively, kinesiology tape is a thin, highly elastic tape that can stretch up to 140 percent of its resting length. This elasticity allows a limb or muscle to go through its full range of motion, rather than be restricted. “The white tape you are used to seeing is referred to as ‘McConnell Taping’ in the rehab world,” says Moira Devereaux, a physical therapist and researcher in Nova Scotia, Canada. Kinesiology tape, then, seems like a brightly colored rebrand of that practice-but it’s not. This tape, also known as “kinesio tape,” “K-Tape” and “the weird neon stuff at races,” has become a popular mode of injury management for runners.įor many, the idea of taping an injury conjures memories of the white surgical tape their high school gym teachers bought by the case: awkward, archaic and not always effective. Had kinesiology tape been around in Humpty Dumpty’s day, perhaps our favorite nursery rhyme would have a happier ending. Get access to everything we publish when you
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