There are a lot of different opinions on kinsesiology tape. Good and bad. Some people see it as fancy colorful band aids and others rave about what it can do. From what I have seen and felt with my training, using kinesiology tape on myself, and applying it to others, my opinion is that it works. Even with it’s growth in popularity from athletes in the Olympic games to CrossFit enthusiast I’ve found that a lot of people are still unaware of what kinesiology tape is and what it does. I’m going to take you on my kinesiology taping journey.

I had taken a course on IASTM (which will be discussed in another blog) and was given some kinesiology tape in the course. I was so excited about this roll of tape. I had taken a continuing education course on the tape online years before, but I didn’t feel like it was enough for me to be able to apply it correctly. I asked someone if they would let me put some of this tape on them. I’m fortunate enough to have someone that is more than happy to be my guinea pig when it comes to massage. Then again, who wouldn’t be? I had a very small one on one crash course on how to use the tape after the course I had received the tape at. I also did a little research on how to apply the tape minutes before I first used it on someone. I applied it to their arm and their low back with no massage or prior manipulation. I think we left the tape on for about a day or two. The tape on the arm didn’t help, but I also applied it on the wrong side (hey, it was my first time doing this). The lower back, on the other hand, worked. It’s been 3 months and the pain has yet to come back. This should also be the part where I let everyone know that not everyone will have the same result in the same amount of time.

So what exactly is kinesiology tape and what does it do? Kinesiology tape is an acrylic adhesive attached to a strip that is a cotton and nylon blend with no latex. It stretches so that it does not restrict movement. The tape helps decompress the tissue under the skin. It also helps to connect the brain to the area that is taped and can alter the perception of pain. A line from the kinesiology tape course I took I feel said it best, “Our skin is a megaphone to get our brain’s attention”. Kinesiology tape can help with injuries, posture correction, pain reduction, swelling, and even people with special needs like autism, to name a few things. It is very similar to wrapping an area of the body. The tape can stay on the area of the body longer with one application as opposed to wrapping where the wrap needs to be redone more frequently. Taping also does not restrict movement the way that wrapping can. Tape can last anywhere from 3-5 days and longer in some cases. It does not have to be taken off to shower or during exercise. The tape is great in conjunction with therapy and exercise and the effects last up to 72 hours after the tape has been removed. In my massage therapy practice, I can use it along with massage applying the tape before or after the massage. Along with corrective exercises, the tape can help to reinforce what was done during the session. The result is that you feel better longer. The pain doesn’t come back as quickly and the body or area of the body starts getting used to properly being in the position it is supposed to be in.

One of the things that all of us in class said is that the tape feels like “a hug”. A lot of my classmates said that they had the best sleep that they’ve had in a long time after being taped in the first class. I asked one of them if they felt that it was due to the actual tape or if they felt that they slept better because their body could relax since it was no longer in pain. They said they felt that it was because their body wasn’t in pain.I wasn’t completely skeptical of kinesiology tape, but I had read positive and negative reviews about it. Personally, what the tape does I think is incredible. It gently and comfortably helps your body. If you haven’t tried kinesiology tape, I suggest giving it a try to see how it can help improve your trouble areas. If you have any questions on taping or want to know how to locate someone that can tape you in your area, leave a comment below or feel free to send me a message.