Does athletic tape really work? Here’s what experts say

The benefits of kinesiology tape, the colorful tape stretched across the limbs of seemingly every athlete these days, may be more in the mind than in the muscles.

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In a new, large analysis, published Tuesday in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, Chinese researchers reviewed more than 100 studies involving 15,812 participants who used kinesiology tape therapy for musculoskeletal disorders, including arthritis, osteoporosis and back and neck pain.

Kinesiology tape, also called KT tape, is a flexible, adhesive cotton tape frequently seen attached to athletes’ joints, limbs or major muscle areas. It’s promoted as a treatment for and protection against sports injuries, to stabilize joints and manage pain. Tennis champion Serena Williams has worn it on her cheek and Olympic athletes, especially women’s volleyball players, use it all over.

The new study concluded that the tape may provide immediate and short-term relief for pain and may improve the function of the limbs, but the evidence is “very uncertain” and the general effects of kinesiology tape are inconsistent.

The researchers, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, did note that KT may “improve subjective outcomes” that may positively affect a patient’s performance. That finding “should not be overlooked,” the researchers wrote.

In other words, what’s likely really happening is a positive placebo effect, the scientists suggested.

It’s not exactly clear how kinesiology tape works, but previous research suggests it promotes healing by lifting the skin around the injured ligament, which increases circulation. It also may ease pain by reducing swelling and inflammation surrounding pain receptors and blood vessels.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, physical therapists usually recommend patients put tape on their Achilles tendon, back, knee or the soles of their feet.

KT tape may provide some short-term relief, but “there’s a lot of fuzzy data” about the benefits, said Dr. Rachel Frank, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

“This study is not showing there’s a huge clinical benefit,” said Frank, who was not involved in the new research. “So usually when it’s recommended by a health care professional, KT taping is not a stand-alone treatment, and it certainly doesn’t replace regimented rehabilitation and other treatment protocols.”

Wearing KT for the extra ‘edge’

In a 2021 online survey of members of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy and the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, 40% of respondents said they used the tape as a placebo for their patients.

A placebo effect can help people “feel better” even if the tape has no impact on their physicality, Frank said.

That may not be a bad thing, said Joshua Gellert, a physical therapist and board-certified sports clinical specialist at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The tape can increase the amount of “sensory feedback” in the body, which can make people feel physically supported, said Gellert, who wasn’t involved with the new research.

“It can promote a feeling of safety,” he said. “If you weren’t feeling safe within your body after an injury, then that can create a whole multitude of unintentional compensation patterns or avoidance of motion.”

Gellert says the extra “edge” taping can give is why professional athletes often wear it on the field.

Should you use KT tape?

Although KT can cause skin irritation, especially in older adults with thinner skin, if it helps you, keep using it.

After an injury, however, taping should be a secondary therapy, the experts said.

Similarly, the new study acknowledged that benefits from taping pale in comparison to other interventions like exercise.

For those who are injured, Gellert recommends the “pillars of recovery,” which include proper sleep, hydration and nutrition. Strength training and a high-protein diet are also helpful.

“There’s a lot of things in medicine where if they’re not causing harm and patients feel that they’re getting benefit, we don’t tell them to put it down,” Frank said.