Tape Yourself: Runner's Knee

 

A popular athletic adhesive helps decrease stress on the patellar tendon.

By

Beth Dreher

Published

January 01, 2009

Gold, silver, and bronze weren't the only colors decorating Beijing Olympians. Some athletes wore Kinesio Tex Tape in strips of pink, blue, and black. This adhesive is popular because it speeds healing without limiting range of motion, says Amol Saxena, D.P.M., a sports podiatrist in Palo Alto, California. "The tape pulls up the skin slightly, allowing more blood to flow to the injured area," he says. He teaches runners, including bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan, how to put it on themselves. The tape ($14.95 per roll at kinesio-tape.com) can last five days, even in the shower. Saxena thinks black sticks best to sweaty skin.

Below is the method to combat runner's knee; see also Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, shinsplints and ankle sprain.

 

1. Cut four inches of tape and remove the backing.

2. Holding the ends of the tape in both hands, stretch the middle of the tape and place it just below your kneecap--over your patellar tendon.

3. Smooth the ends of the tape onto your skin.