Months ago I blogged about Kinesio Tape, that fancy colorful adhesive we see athletes wearing. Though it was first introduced in the 70s, it has become popular over the last couple of years. If all those pro athletes are wearing it, it must work, right? Well, researcher in Italy assigned 34 subjects to use 3 different types of taping methods. On with light to moderate tension (“facilitation taping”) one with light tension (“inhibition taping”) and one with no tension (“sham taping”). The results were then documented in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. The study found NO significant differences in the 3 groups, suggesting the tape did nothing to enhance muscular function and these findings were consistent to others. The study also found that the subjects’ perception of their own performance wasn’t influenced by the type of taping. Also interesting (but not shocking) some thought they were stronger with the type of taping which actually inhibited muscular strength. Ahhhh…the power of suggestion. I guess there is no harm in wearing it if the placebo effect helps you emerge victorious…and despite the study, some still believe it is a great way to reduce pain and fight against the cold. If you have used K tape, please let us know how it worked/works for you!
Thanks to American Fitness Magazine for sharing this info.
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Bonnie, My son has a spinal cord injury T3-T4 paralyzed from the chest down with severe nerve pain at his level of injury. He has been doing the taping and has been getting great relief from the pain. Much better than anything else he has tried.