Kinesiotaping – does it help at all?

Kinesiotape is an elastic band that you put on your skin. It is said to help with many situations, such as increasing proprioception, muscle activation, reducing soreness, pain reduction, and improving lymphatic as well as blood flow.

But is that really the case? I have dealt with the evidence on kinesiotape and see -__- the result is… let’s say rather lousy.

What’s behind it?

Kinesiotapes are widely used – both in the therapeutic and civilian world. They should serve as supporters of muscular activity, stabilize our joints and increase awareness. You should also have less muscle soreness, as well as experience pain reduction. In addition, it is also said to help reduce swelling, with the argument that it leads to improved blood and lymph flow. Even the color “can” have an impact on healing through the gestalt psychological effects. (Basset et al. 2010. Parreira et al. 2014).

But is that really the case? Let’s get to the bottom of it!

Theories behind it explained…

By applying the tape, afferent (ascending) information is conducted to the central nervous system. This should subsequently increase cortical as well as muscular activity in the affected area. Furthermore, it is supposed to form so-called “channels” in the subcutis (subcutaneous tissue) by lifting the skin – which is supposed to increase blood flow – but this seems very illogical, the mechanism for this has also long been disproved. (Parreira et al. 2014. Stefano et al. 2016).

Hard facts speak now

  • Neither the color nor the brand makes a difference – neither works beyond placebos
  • Also, the “skin lift theory” has been disproved – whether kinesiotape or sham tape, the effects are the same – comparable to other therapies, kinesiotape is not superior in terms of lymphatic reduction – in fact, higher quality studies measure NO difference in edema reduction with or without. For example, it does not help at all with hematoma reduction. (Parreira et al. 2014. Stefano et al. 2016).
  • No effect in musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., tendinopathy, ankle instability). They studies describing slight benefits are of low quality. (Li et al. 2019. Da Luz Jr. Et al. 2018. Nelson 2016)

Honestly…

For the sake of objectivity, one must also mention studies that have measured an effect. However, it should be mentioned, there are partly no placebo controls, no significant effects and the studies come almost exclusively from one research group – that is, one cannot clearly fall back on validity and objectivity here.

  • Stroke patients experienced improvement in balance, lower extremity function, and walking speed – but relevance to the clinic is unclear (effects were there – but so small that it makes no difference for everyday life. (Hu et al. 2019. Wang et al. 2019)

And what about pain reduction?

There are indeed breeding grounds for positive results – but also Evident, which speaks for no effect. However, it should also be mentioned here that the study situation is of very low quality – in summary, however, one can say that short-term pain reduction was found BUT the relevance is so low that one could also omit it. (Da Luz Jr. Et al. 2018. Li et al. 2019. Ye et al. 2019. Celik et al. 2020)

Little info by the way:

Until the 2012 Olympics, kinesiotape, as well as therapies like cupping, were far from well-known. However, the company Kinesiotape is on the sponsor list at the IOC (International Olympic Committee). In 2012, more athletes were treated with tape systems than ever before. This led to a certain conspicuousness. This shows once again how much marketing is behind a product. (npr. 2012)

Conclusion:

The effects of kinesiotapes most likely do not go beyond placebo effects. Minor effects can lead to pain reduction, but can NOT replace holistic therapy.

💚If you need help with your training, rehab after injury, or just want to feel better and healthier in your body overall, check out our offerings and feel free to contact us! ⠀

Sources:

Parreira. Patricia da Carmo Silva, et al. “KInesio taping to generate skin convulsions is not better than sham taping for people with chronic non-specific low back pain: a randomized trial.” Journal of physiotherapy 60.2 (2014): 90-96

Bassett, K.T. & Lingman, S.A. & Ellis, Richard. (2010) The use and treatment efficacy of kinesthetic taping for musculoskeletal conditions: A systematic review. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy. 38. 56-62

Cavalieri, Rocco et al. “The influence of kinesiology tape color on performance and corticomotor activity in healthy adults: a randomized crossover controlled trial.” BMC Sports Science. Medicine and Rehabilitation 10.1 (2018): 1-8

Stefano, V., Claudio, C., Francesca, T., Andrea, M., Elisabetta, B., Giorgio, F., Francesco, S.. The effects of kinesiology taping on the color intensity of superficialities skin hematoma: A pilot study. Physical therapy in Sports (2016), dos: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.06.005.

Parriera, Patricia do Carmo Silva, et al, “Current evidence does not support the use of Kinesio Taping in clinical practice: a systematic review.” Journal of physiotherapy 60.1 (2014): 31-39.