DOES
KINESIOTAPE REALLY WORK?
I’ve tried it without
much success. About all I got from using it was a rash. In my opinion it’s not
going to be very useful unless it comes with an expertly trained professional in
the box instead of the poorly written instructions.
I’m going to let Dr. John Rusin answer. He holds advance
degrees in both Exercise Science and Physical Therapy and coaches some of the world’s best power athletes, NFL and MLB
athletes, Gold-Medal Olympians, competitive powerlifters and bodybuilders.-----Steve
This
is a portion of an article published by T-Nation 7/8/2015
Since when has wrapping yourself up like a brightly-colored mummy become a prerequisite for being an athlete?
Since when has wrapping yourself up like a brightly-colored mummy become a prerequisite for being an athlete?
Though kinesiotape has been
in use in the therapy industry for a while now, everything went into overdrive
after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
You probably remember
seeing the Americans kick some major ass on the beach volleyball sand, where
both the men and women teams were noticeably covered in that mysterious tape.
The initial hypothesis was
that the tape was administered to cover up Misty May Treanor's tramp stamp to
keep relations civil with communist China. This hypothesis was quickly debunked
and replaced with a statement from the American team saying that the tape was a
therapeutic aid for pain and dysfunction.
But was it really? Since
that time, there have been countless research articles published looking into
the efficacy of kinesio tape for both pain modulation and performance
enhancement.
Unfortunately, a majority
of studies show that the tape is of no more help to an athlete's performance
than any other faddist trend we've seen sputter through the industry.
White athletic tape has
been around for almost 100 years, but too bad it didn't sport a logo. Johnson
and Johnson really missed out on that mega-opportunity.
The thought is that tape
can be strategically placed over the skin in areas that can either inhibit or
facilitate muscular tone, thus enhancing joint positions and the production of
muscular force.
There are rehab experts out
there that swear K-tape is the most game-changing tool they've used for
enhancing the performances of their athletes, but the chances of it working
when an amateur with no experience administrates the tape is about as likely as
an ice cube's chance in hell.
Do This Instead
If you're going to go down that rabbit hole just because
those jacked and conditioned athletes throwing around absurd weights in the
CrossFit Games are showing more Rock Tape logos than they are skin, at least do
it right.
Look, there's a reason why certified practitioners and
movement specialists get certified in this stuff. There's indeed a science and
skill set to properly administrating a theoretically sound K-tape treatment.
Go see one of those people. They paid thousands of dollars
to be certified tape specialists and may actually know what they're doing.
That said, you can tape yourself up using nothing but plain
athletic tape. It's not a cure-all, but the treatment can be useful in some
circumstances.
Send your questions or comments to alphaedgefitness@gmail.com
Send your questions or comments to alphaedgefitness@gmail.com
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