You might have seen athletes with colorful tapes on their shoulders, knees or even face. This colorful tape is called the Kinesio tape.
Recently, some athletes in the Olympics were wearing the Kinesio tape as well.
With proper application and correct usage, it can be a highly effective non-invasive treatment for pain, muscle activation and stability.
The K tape isn’t just for athletes. We use it in physiotherapy clinics for club foot, trigger finger, tennis elbow, low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, knee hyperextension and many more conditions.
If your physiotherapist is recommending Kinesio tape to you, or if you’re just interested to know more about these colorful tapes, then this article is the perfect place to be.
Here, we’ll explain what the kinesiology tape is, what it’s used for and how it works. Then we’ll answer some common questions that you might have if you’re a new user of the KT tape.
Let’s get started.
What Is a Kinesiology Tape?
Kinesiology tape, also known as Kinesio tape, K tape or KT tape, is an elastic tape that physiotherapists apply to your body for different purposes. It’s made of cotton mixed with polyester and elastic fibers.
The tape has an acrylic-based adhesive which is heat activated – meaning that you can improve the sticking power of the tape by rubbing on it and generating heat.
It’s also latex-free and made of hypoallergenic material which makes it safe for the majority of people. The unique point of the Kinesio tape is that it’s stretchable – almost 120% of its length.
Kinesiology tape is rarely used as a treatment on its own. You’ll often find that it’s applied to supplement your PT treatment and home exercise programs.
What Does the Kinesio Tape Do? 5 Important Benefits of Kinesio Tape
The Kinesio tape applies mechanical stimuli to the skin and underlying structures to help them heal. It helps you move better while reducing pain.
The tape is applied with a stretch and in doing so:
- maintains your joint or muscles in a specific position
- alters the arrangement of structures (skin, ligaments, fascia, and joint placement)
- creates tension
- activates the nervous system and, in turn, influences muscle activation
The tape also applies pressure on the body thus increasing the blood flow and decreasing the pain response to the region. [Reference]
This pressure increases the lymphatic drainage as well. [Reference]
Quick Tip
Lymph is a waste fluid mixture that’s made of white blood cells and fluid from the intestine amongst other things. Our body collects the fluid from all over and brings it to the neck area.
Proper draining of this fluid is good for our immune system and necessary to remove waste. A problem with lymphatic drainage can lead to diseases and swelling in your legs.
K tape provides support to the area while also assisting the movement. That’s the most obvious difference between K tape and a brace or orthosis because a brace prevents all movement of a joint.
Some benefits of kinesiology tape (K Tape) include:
- Helps decrease swelling
- Helps improve joint mechanical deformities, for example, club foot
- Reduces activity of overactive muscles and stimulates underactive muscles to work more – thus it balances muscle tone
- Manages muscle spasm
- Decreases pain by facilitating movement and inhibiting certain postures
When Should You Use Kinesiology Tape?
You can use the Kinesio tape for many reasons. Your physiotherapist, or a K taping expert, will access you first to see why or if you need the tape.
Here are a few circumstances when Kinesio tape is proven to be helpful:
1. Kinesio Tape for Pain Management
The K tape restricts muscle and joint movements to some degree and facilitates the muscles in performing activities.
It also increases the mechanical stimulation of the ligaments, muscles and the skin. That increases stimulations coming from the brain to the taped area.
All that helps to manage pain, especially so when the pain is because of muscle weakness, joint compression, joint hypo or hypermobility etc.
In a 2019 study, researchers found that K taping decreased the pain at rest and during activities for knee osteoarthritis patients.
That’s not the only study on this population group. A 2017 study by Mutlu et al. also found similar results thus proving the positive effects of K taping for pain management.
Kinesio taping has been shown to reduce pain in shoulder impingement, myofascial pain syndrome, and low back pain amongst other conditions.
2. Kinesio Tape for Joint Instability
K tape can provide additional support to joints to prevent them from dislocating. Taping has been shown to benefit people who suffer from unstable joints that often dislocate.
A 2019 study found that shoulder Kinesio taping helped prevent subluxation of the joint in stroke patients.
Other recent studies have found similar effects for knee and ankle joints.
This added stability to the joint can improve the functional movements of patients. For instance, by applying the Kinesio tape on an ankle with instability issues, you can improve your walking pattern and jump mechanics. [Reference]
3. Kinesio Tape for Inflammation
K tape manages swelling by applying compression to the skin and underlying structures thus increasing the lymph drainage.
A 2020 research by Jaroń et al. showed that applying Kinesio tape after dental surgery can reduce swelling a lot faster than with conventional methods.
Another study showed that K tape can reduce tissue swelling after mastectomy (surgery to remove breasts).
There are several other studies with the same result. K taping helps to reduce swelling irrespective of which area of the body is affected.
Other Uses of Kinesio Tape
You can apply K tape for correcting joint misalignments such as those in clubfoot and trigger finger (although the culprit in this condition is not the joint itself). [Reference]
It also sometimes helps with muscle strengthening although high-quality research on that is lacking.
K taping speeds up the recovery in athletes after extreme training sessions that lead to delayed onset muscle soreness. [Reference]
Some physiotherapists also use it for treating soft tissue injuries such as those involved in low back pain.
How Do You Apply Kinesio Tape?
Usually, physiotherapists or other experts in taping apply the Kinesio tape.
That’s because there are various components that you have to take care of such as the length of the tape, level of stretch, the surface area covered by the tape and the direction of support.
The amount of stretch varies depending on your end goal and the structure you’re trying to stretch. For instance, for skin, a light stretch works great whereas you’ll need a full stretch (maximum length you can go) if you’re targeting a ligament.
But you can learn to apply the KT tape on yourself after you’ve seen a physio do it a few times.
When you apply the tape by yourself for the first time, you should do it in front of your physiotherapist so they can help you make adjustments as needed.
There are different techniques for cutting the K tape:
- I cut
- Y cut
- X cut
- V cut
- Fan cut
Your choice of the shape of the Kinesio tape depends on your use. A Y shape is great for when you need to cover the joint from two sides and the ‘I cut’ is ideal for when you need to provide support linearly.
You can use the fan cut when you want to reduce swelling or improve circulation, although it can be used for various other reasons as well.
We won’t explain the entire process of how you can apply the KT tape. But we’ll cover the basics so you know what to expect when your physiotherapist does it.
To begin, your physio will clean the area to make sure that there’s no dust or debris on the skin. Otherwise, the tape might not stick properly.
Then they’ll cut the tape to the desired length and make the corners round. This helps the KT tape stick better.
Your physio will then stretch your muscle where the tape is to be applied or put the joint in the desired position.
Then they’ll remove just a portion of the tape from one end (called the first anchor point), put it on the skin, stretch the rest of the tape, and start sticking it on.
Towards the end, they’ll un-stretch the other anchor, remove the paper backing, and stick it on.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kinesiology Tape
Every time I apply the Kinesio tape on my patients, I get the same list of questions. Here, I’ll answer them for you:
Is Kinesio Tape Good for Arthritis?
Yes, KT tape is effective for relieving pain and improving the quality of life of people suffering from arthritis or other degenerative conditions. [Reference]
That’s because the Kinesio tape can take the pressure off the joint by aligning the surrounding muscles and ligaments to take the load.
The K tape also stabilizes the joint which helps to reduce pain. Degenerative or arthritic joints usually also have swelling and the KT tape is excellent for tackling that as well.
Can You Shower With KT Tape On? Is KT Tape Waterproof?
Yes, you can shower, swim, or sweat with the Kinesio tape on. It’s waterproof for the most part and takes about 5-10 minutes to dry completely.
However, keeping it underwater for long periods can decrease its adhesive power and that’ll make the KT tape come off quicker.
So you should try to keep the Kinesio tape dry.
Can You Put Kinesio Tape on Yourself?
Yes, applying the KT tape yourself is safe. You can learn how to do it by watching your physio and asking them to teach you the technique for your specific issue.
However, you need to be careful not to apply Kinesio tape to yourself or others without consulting a physiotherapist first. As we’ve discussed above, the Kinesio tape is used for various purposes and the application varies based on its purpose.
There are also a few conditions when you shouldn’t apply the Kinesio tape because it might cause more harm than good.
That’s why always talk to your doctor before using the KT tape.
What Do the Different Colors of Kinesio Tape Mean?
There’s no difference between the different colors of the Kinesio tape
The different colors of the KT tape are just for aesthetics. They don’t mean anything in terms of their elasticity, safety or application.
You can choose any color of KT tape and it won’t make any difference in the outcome of your treatment.
Some physiotherapists prefer using different colors of Kinesio tape when they have to apply multiple layers of it. That’s only because this makes it easier to see the various layers and tell them apart.
They make the Kinesio tape in different colors because colors have a psychological impact on us. That way, people and kids especially can choose the color they’re most comfortable with.
Does Kinesiology Tape Work for Low Back Pain?
Yes, Kinesio tape is effective to reduce low back pain (LBP).
It’s shown to produce significant results only when it’s applied in addition to painkillers, physiotherapy treatment and other conservative management. [Reference]
Although multiple studies on different population groups have shown that Kinesio tape helps LPB, not everyone benefits from KT tape so you’ll have to check in with your physiotherapist to see if it can reduce your pain.
Can KT Tape Be Harmful?
KT tape is generally not harmful because it’s made of a hypoallergenic material which is safe for most people.
However, there are certain situations when it’s best to avoid using the Kinesio tape. These include having an open wound, a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that can dislodge if you increase local blood circulation and an allergic reaction to the tape.
How Long Should You Wear Kinesiology Tape?
You can wear the Kinesio tape for three to four days at a time. After that, the tape will start peeling on its own and lose its adhesion thus it won’t be effective to keep the tape on.
Also, you should give your skin and muscles rest for at least a day before reapplying the KT tape after removing the old one.
How Does K Tape Help Knee Pain?
Kinesio taping of the knee increases blood flow to the area, helps quadriceps muscle activation and decreases pain associated with injury or degenerative changes. [Reference]
Multiple studies have shown K taping to be superior to sham or no treatment for knee OA patients.
You can benefit from K taping on the knee if:
- you have knee OA
- during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear rehab [Reference]
- for patellofemoral pain
- to increase knee stability
- to improve running biomechanics
- to prevent knee hyperextension
Why Is Kinesio Tape Applied on Shoulders?
Kinesio taping of the shoulder is used to help with shoulder impingement, subluxation (partial dislocation), to improve posture, pain, and instability. [Reference]
Athletes often have KT tape on their shoulders while playing to help with pain and provide stability.
A 2020 study showed great results of applying Kinesio taping on the shoulder in addition to the rehab exercises for rotator cuff tendinopathy.
Does Kinesio Taping Help Plantar Fasciitis?
Yes, Kinesio taping can help improve foot function in plantar fasciitis patients but only when it’s used in conjunction with other treatments such as ultrasound or extracorporeal shock wave therapy. [Reference]
It also improves balance and pain in plantar fasciitis patients. Some even report a decrease in pain shortly after the first time they tried K tape. [Reference]
K Taping is also helpful for runners suffering from an overstrained plantar fascia.
Why Is Kinesio Taping Used for Shin Splints?
Shin splints are common amongst runners and people who do strenuous exercises.
Some studies show that applying Kinesio taping in addition to massage and rest can decrease pain and improve function. [Reference]
However, research on this topic is limited. And there aren’t many high-quality clinical trials and studies to conclusively say whether or not the use of K tape for shin splints is beneficial for everyone.
Can Kinesio Taping Help Achilles Tendonitis?
Some people find relief in their Achilles tendonitis pain with KT tape. But there’s a lack of evidence to support the use of kinesiology tape for tendinopathies.
The decrease in pain that you might experience here can be because the K tape is helpful in reducing swelling and improving lymph drainage.
Since Achilles tendonitis can also cause swelling, a decrease in that can create a feeling of pain relief.
Is KT Tape Reusable?
No, the Kinesio tape isn’t reusable. It only works as long as the glue is intact which tends to decrease after a few days of use.
If your tape starts to peel off after a couple of hours or a day of application, you can try to put it back on and improve its sticking by rubbing on the tape to generate heat.
But once it comes off completely, it’s best to use a new strip and throw away the old KT tape.
Key Takeaways
The Kinesio tape is used for treating different musculoskeletal conditions from knee osteoarthritis to smaller injuries in your fingers.
Although K taping has incredible benefits, it’s not proven to produce clinical results in all injuries. There’s also a strong placebo effect linked to the use of kinesiology tape.
It provides multiple benefits. The Kinesio tape can help reduce swelling, pain, increase muscle movement and provide stability to your joints.
You’ve got to always consult a professional before applying the KT tape. That’s because its application varies based on your condition.
If you’d like to learn more about the use of Kinesio tape for your injury or have more questions, then feel free to contact us or visit a physiotherapist near you.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only. We provide well-researched and authentic information. Do not consider this personalized health advice. Please contact a licensed healthcare professional for medical issues and health concerns.