In August 2012, science journalist Brian Dunning reports in "Kinesio Tape: The Evidence" that positive studies of the tape are the result of people being deceived by a "stage magician's trick" – which he describes in detail – that is used to fool subjects into thinking strength or flexibility is being affected, when they are not. Novella says "The world of sports competition is rife with pseudoscience,įalse claims, dubious products, superstitions, and magical charms." Novella concluded that "Consumers should be very skeptical of claims made for products marketed as athletic performance enhancing." In July 2012, Steven Novella writing in Science-Based Medicine in the article "Olympic Pseudoscience'", examined the use of KT in the larger context of "sports-related pseudoscience". Some researchers claim that what athletes are experiencing is just a placebo effect. In the 2012 article "Scientists sceptical as athletes get all taped up", Reuters reported that "In a review of all the scientific research so far, published in the Sports Medicine journal in February, researchers found 'little quality evidence to support the use of Kinesio tape over other types of elastic taping in the management or prevention of sports injuries". In the article, Kinesio Tape for Athletes: A Big Help, or Hype?, Web MD reports that "There has not been conclusive scientific or medical evidence to confirm the effectiveness of the tape." This increase in the interstitial space purportedly reduces pressure on the body's nociceptors, which detect pain, and stimulates mechanoreceptors, to improve overall joint proprioception. Additionally, some claim the tape “lifts” the skin, increasing the space below it, and increasing blood flow and circulation of lymphatic fluids (swelling). One of those is correcting the alignment of weak muscles as well as facilitating joint motion as a result of the tape's recoiling qualities. People claim the tape has several theoretical benefits. How the tape is claimed to affect the body is dependent on the location and how it is applied the stretch direction, the shape, and the location all supposedly play a role in the tape's hypothetical function. The cotton fibers allow for evaporation and quicker drying leading to longer wear time, up to 4 days. It is a latex-free material with acrylic adhesive, which is heat activated. ĭesigned to mimic human skin, with roughly the same thickness and elastic properties, the tape can be stretched 30–40% longitudinally. This elastic property allows much greater range of motion compared to traditional white athletic tape and can also be left on for long periods before reapplication. As a result, if the tape is applied stretched greater than its normal length, it will "recoil" after being applied and therefore create a pulling force on the skin. The product is a type of thin, elastic cotton tape that can stretch up to 140% of its original length. He believes that "sponsorship dollars may be entirely responsible for the popularity of Kinesio Tape during televised events." Properties Įlastic therapeutic tape used for lower back pain on an older adult male. In 2012, science journalist Brian Dunning speculated on why he had not seen "a single athlete, pro beach volleyball players included, wear Kinesio Tape outside of the Olympics". The tapes' prominence and mass introduction to the general public have been attributed to Kerri Walsh who wore the tape on her shoulder, and who along with Misty May-Treanor dominated the 2008 beach volleyball event. Ī surge in popularity resulted after the product was donated to Olympic athletes in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and 2012 London Summer Olympics. The company he founded markets variants under the brand name "Kinesio" and takes legal action to prevent the word being used as a genericised trademark. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese-American chiropractor, developed the product in the 1970s.
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