Behind the Tape: A Miracle or a Myth?

by MATT SMITH | ART, FMS, CPT, CES

Form & function: 

While noticed for its looks, kinesio tape also aids in recovery, lymphatic drainage, and increased performance.

You see the tape all over the place: that second, more fashionable set of skin that produces colorful designs of support on athletes across the CrossFit landscape. As cool as the tape looks, it is often accompanied with questions of why and how it actually works… or if it even works at all! In the next few paragraphs, I will address some of the ideas and research supporting the Kinesiology Tape that has taken the CrossFit world — among many others — by storm.

Aside from the aesthetic appeal of the tape itself, there is a tremendous upside to utilizing kinesio tape. Whether you are looking for recovery, lymphatic drainage, or increased performance, Kinesiology Taping can be a central piece in the puzzle of optimal performance.

Leading Brands of Kinesio Tape

RockTape

One of many:

Although Rock Tape is currently popular, KT Tape & SpiderTech are other kinesio tape options.

As the newest kid on the block, RockTape has a much different philosophy towards taping methods than any other brand of tape. Their brand of taping is meant to support movements, not merely muscles. This is a very similar mindset to that of CrossFit, where muscles are not the primary focus during training and rehab; rather, movement patterns are the central focus.

From personal and professional experience, I have found that RockTape stays on much longer than any other brand. Although they are a relatively new brand, they have made a huge splash in athletic communities across the board, due to their innovative approach to their product and application.

KT Tape

Short for “Kinesiology Tape,” KT Tape  has been around for quite some time and has been the leader among professional athletes in the past. How does it work?

KT Tape is applied along muscles, ligaments, and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, strong, external support that helps to prevent injury and speed recovery. KT Tape works differently for different injuries. KT Tape can lift and support the knee cap, holding it in place for Runner’s Knee. KT Tape can support sagging muscles along the arch of the foot, relieving the connective tissues for Plantar’s Fasciitis. And KT Tape can lift the stress off of shin splints to allow pain release and give the body a better opportunity to recover. Depending on how it is applied, KT Tape supports, enables, or restricts soft tissue and its movement. By stretching and recoiling like a rubber band, KT Tape augments tissue function and distributes loads away from inflamed or damaged muscles and tendons, thereby protecting tissues from further injury.

By applying KT Tape over affected tissue, athletes experience an external support which helps to prevent further injury and allows the body’s damaged tissue to rest and heal naturally despite continued activity. KT Tape also reduces inflammation and increases circulation which prevents muscle cramping and lactic acid buildup.

SpiderTech

Well known for their pre-cut tape for different body parts. This brand is used for its easy applicability by health care providers all over. Take a peek into how this tape reduces inflammation below.

Kinesio Tape vs. White Athletic Tape

How does kinesio tape differ from standard white athletic tape?

Kinesio tape increases all of the following:

• Range of motion
• Blood flow/lymphatic drainage
• Muscle function
• Comfort
• Elastic recoil
• Skin “breathability”

Standard white athletic tape decreases all of the above; however, it does increase movement compensation.

Of course, this is not to suggest to stop using white athletic tape in appropriate situation. This list is meant to help differentiate between the two genres of tape and gain an understanding of the ways that kinesio tape can provide effective support during rehabilitation and performance.

What Makes It Special?

Elasticity

Did you know?

The elasticity of kinesio tape also creates a lifting effect on the skin to allow for better lymphatic drainage and blood flow.

In most cases, Kinesio Tape is comprised of flexible nylon and cotton fibers; this allows the tape to provide a “snap-back” effect, producing a neuromuscular response underneath the skin where the tape is applied. Through recent fascial research, it has been shown that pulling on the skin can create widespread effects within the body.

Myofascia is a very important piece in the taping game (this is what you are effecting when you roll out and mobilize). Obviously, the health of your myofascia is pivotal to promoting proper movement patterns. When Kinesio Tape is applied to the skin, it creates a neurological response, providing a change in the way that my0fascia functions, thus changing the way that movement patterns are performed. We can essentially allow for better muscle activation and promote better movement patterns with the support of Kinesio Tape.

This elasticity also creates a lifting effect on the skin to allow for better lymphatic drainage and blood flow. These are two pivotal components in allowing for swelling drainage and tissue nutrient restoration during the healing process.

Adhesive

Wearing tape after intense workouts or acute injuries provides faster recovery.

Kinesio Tapes use a superior adhesive (it varies depending on the tape brand) that allows for superior support over long periods of time and under extreme conditions. This adhesiveness allows for the tape to withstand water, sweat, mud, etc. without coming off or losing support. The brands above promote the fact that you can, in fact, go swimming wearing kinesio tape.

Pain Reduction

How is this possible? Kinesio Tape provides a stimulus in the skin that externally supports damaged tissue and allows for better circulation for faster healing. This is why wearing tapeafter intense workouts or acute injuries provides faster recovery.

Lymphatic Drainage/Swelling Reduction

Kinesio Tape is unique in its ability to create a lifting effect on the skin to allow for better lymphatic drainage in areas of swelling. This can have a dramatic effect on recovery time after a workout and healing of damaged tissue after injury.

Muscle Activation

Kinesio Tape promotes muscle activation, while maintaining support.

One of the most important aspects of rehabilitation is movement. This is pivotal because it provides blood flow and drainage in the areas of injury to allow for faster healing. It also reduces the amount of muscle atrophy or withering away that can occur after and injury. White Athletic Tape restricts range of motion and deactivates muscles; where as, Kinesio Tape promotes muscle activation, while maintaining support. This allows for proper movement patterns even with injury and allows for a much faster healing process.

When to Use Kinesio Tape

Before you start decorating your body with tape unnecessarily, check out the two lists below. The first is a list of indications — that is, reasons when it is advisable — to use kinesio tape; the second is a list of contraindications. This is the technical term for a medical reason that makes it inadvisable to prescribe a treatment — in other words, you would not use kinesio tape in those circumstances. But do enjoy saying “contraindication” next time you are at the box.

Indications:

• Recovery
• Weakness
• Swelling/Edema
• Coordination
• Balance/Stability
• Muscle Inhibition

Contraindications:

• Open wounds
• Skin Lesions
• Allergies to Adhesives
• Infants/Toddlers