Does KT tape really work?

Over the last decade, Kinesio tape has become popular among athletes and sports rehab specialists to help alleviate the pain from some injuries. Over that time, several studies have been done to assess the tape’s efficacy, with inconclusive results.

A recent study took another stab at the topic, and determined the tape is more than just a placebo — as long as you use the appropriate amount of tension.

Light tension works the best

The goal of the study, which was published in the journal Plos One, was to address the gaps in the current KT and pain literature, to ascertain if the pain-relieving effect is simply a placebo effect and to experiment whether KT applied at different tensions reduces pain.

To do this, the researchers tested KT tape at no tension, light tension (25 per cent of max tension) and high tension (75 per cent of max tension). Their results indicated that the light tension wrap was the most effective at reducing pain, while the high tension produced no pain-relieving effects. “In conclusion, the current study suggests that KT applied at low tension provides a greater pain relieving effect compared to no tape and KT applied at no tension and high tension for pressure-evoked muscle pain,” the researchers wrote.

They added their results indicate that the efficacy of KT tape is likely more than a placebo effect, but more research needs to be done to understand how KT tape actually relieves pain and to determine if patient expectations contribute to KT’s pain-relieving effect.

The bottom line

If you use KT tape and you find it helps, keep using it, but be mindful of how much tension you’re using when applying it. If you want to get the maximum benefit from the tape, it’s important that you apply it properly, so ask a physiotherapist or other sports practitioner for help if you’re unsure

posted Monday January 3rd
by Brittany Hambleton