They are blue, pink or green and more and more often adorn tight calves, tense necks or damaged backs. Kinesio tapes are considered a silver bullet against muscle problems of all kinds. But what can the colored tapes really do? The most important questions and answers.
Millions of Germans do sport regularly – and that’s a good thing. Many professional athletes, but also amateur athletes, know from their own experience that there is occasional pinching here and there, that the calf “closes” or that a muscle is overused and on strike. As an option to quickly get a grip on tension, muscle pain or swelling, elastic, colored cotton tapes that are glued to the appropriate areas have become popular in recent years. Kinesio tapes. In many physiotherapy practices, but also in private, is now glued what the roles give. But what exactly is stuck on the calves, back or neck and does that really bring something?
Together with Kristina Jago, Physiotherapist and Master of Science Clinical Sports Physiology and Sports Therapy, we give an overview of the topic of kinesio tape and clarify the most important questions in the following article.
What is a kinesio tape?
are stretchable cotton tapes coated with acrylic adhesive that are wound on reels. Classically, the tapes are five centimeters wide, each five meters long and are cut to the desired length before being glued. They are available in different colors, but also printed with patterns. More about the meaning of the colors later. The tapes are usually waterproof, so they can also be worn while bathing and showering. The kinesio tapes came to Germany in the late 1990s. They were developed in Japan in the 1970s, probably inspired by kinesiological movement theory.
What are kinesio tapes used for?
Kinesio tapes are mainly used in sport, but also in everyday life. Athletes use the colorful tapes as pain tape – for example, for strains. “In addition, the tapes are affixed so that the muscles tire less quickly,” explains Kristina Jago. Another goal is that certain muscles are better supplied with blood. Marathon runners like to use it for these two reasons and preferably place them along the calf muscles. In addition, the tapes should alleviate the notorious sore muscles a little afterwards. In everyday life, the kinesio tapes are mainly used as a miracle weapon against muscular tension or injuries and are often stuck to the back, lumbar vertebrae and neck.
What can kinesio tapes do?
First of all: there is currently no scientific evidence that kinesio tapes relieve muscle tension, relieve pain or have a positive effect on the blood flow in certain muscles. In comparative studies, sports scientists have not yet been able to prove that the colored tapes achieve a significantly better effect than other structural tapes, plasters or the like. Exciting: The subjective impression is often different. This is one of the reasons why kinesio tapes have been enjoying increasing popularity for several years in amateur sports, but also in everyday life. But where does the gap between science and subjective perception come from?
The secret of the success of kinesio tapes has a psychological component. Regardless of the reason why it is glued in the first place. An example: A runner feels pain at a certain point and wants to use the kinesio tape as a pain tape. In this case, the tape should be stuck as a cross on the pain point, where it has exactly two tasks. First: relieve the structure of the muscles at this point; And secondly: direct the focus and concentration on exactly this point. And that is exactly the point.
What do kinesio tapes really do?
Kinesio tapes have the effect that the focus and concentration of the “patient” is directed to the taped pain point or muscle and thus the behavior is influenced. This can lead to the symptoms improving. In other words: it is not the tape itself that makes a difference. It just reminds you to focus on the pain point, actively relax the muscle, or use it harder.
Example 1: thoracic or lumbar spine
A kinesiotape correctly stuck on here reminds of the upright posture that is often forgotten in everyday life. Due to the increased muscle activity, back pain can be alleviated under certain circumstances. The warmth that arises under the cotton ribbon also relaxes you.
Example 2: knee
In people who have differently developed leg muscles on the inside and outside or the front and back of the thigh, the kneecap sometimes does not slide easily. In the long run, this leads to pain in the knee joint. If you stick a kinesio tape around your kneecap, it reminds you to use the weaker muscle more strongly. In addition, you can feel on the skin that the tension of the tape goes a little inwards and activates the inner muscles a little better, for example. Again, success is more likely to be related to the fact that you focus on it.
Example 3: neck
A kinesio tape stuck to the tense neck muscles is a permanent reminder to specifically and actively relax this muscle. So basically it acts as a kind of reminder patch.
Example 4: Severe swelling (e.g. lymphedema)
Here the kinesio tape is cut into five narrow strips that are stuck one centimeter apart in the direction of the lymphatic drainage. The drain has been proven to work better in the areas where the tape is stuck. It remains to be seen whether the same effect can be achieved with normal adhesive tape.
Kinesio tapes: what is the meaning of the colors?
Kinesio tapes are now available in many different colors. In addition to the classic rolls in blue and pink, tapes in black, green and orange are offered. Even patterns like camouflage or are available. There are also many assumptions and half-truths circulating on this. Do tapes in a certain color only work on a certain part of the body? Does blue have a cooling effect, while red has a warming effect? There is currently no scientific evidence for this either. “As far as I know, the structure of the tapes is all the same,” says physiotherapist Kristina Jago. “Still, I wouldn’t say that it doesn’t make any difference when it comes to gluing. The body reacts to colors, you can believe it or not, and color psychology certainly plays a role when it comes to kinesio tapes. ” But that has nothing to do with the tape itself, Jago continues. In other words: whether yellow, red, dotted or striped: The tapes are made of elastic cotton and are coated with acrylic adhesive.
Can you glue kinesio tapes yourself?
Basically, you can’t make any mistakes or break anything when gluing kinesio tapes. However, caution is advised with diagnosed muscle injuries such as strains. “In such a case, it is important to know the muscle structures,” explains Kristina Jago. The muscle should first be tapped in the course and then crosswise in order to support it in a meaningful way. “If you simply stick the tape on the pain point, the focus is not on the entire muscle, but only on this point where the pain may not have arisen at all. The cause of a strained calf can also be in the thigh, for example,” explains the physiotherapist and an ambitious runner. Important: If you want to use kinesio tapes as pain tapes, you should seek expert advice in case of doubt. When it comes to releasing muscle tension, it is often sufficient to study the adhesive instructions provided and to follow them accordingly.
Tip: Before gluing, the skin under the tape should be shaved and not put on with cream.
Remove kinesio tapes: this is important
One of the philosophy of the kinesio tape is: as long as it sticks, you need it. “If the tape still sticks well, it shouldn’t just be torn off,” advises Kristina Jago. That could leave painful wounds. If you still want to get rid of it earlier, this will dampen it ideally with a little warm water and slowly loosen it from the skin. Kinesio tapes can last up to three weeks, while others come off after an hour. Tip: In order to make the detachment as painless as possible, the affected area should be shaved before gluing.
