Medical Professionals Explain Why Olympians Are Wearing that Colored Tape (And Why You Probably Shouldn’t)
- Posted on August 10, 2012 at 9:55am by
Liz Klimas
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During the last couple weeks of the Olympics, perhaps you’ve noticed the pink, green, purple or blue tape plastered over the legs, backs, arms and other body parts of athletes. It could be one of the most universal of Olympic accessories this year, making appearances in what seems to be almost every sport. It has been seen in diving, track, volleyball, Judo and even table tennis.
Here are just a few examples:
Rest assured though, the athletes aren’t falling apart at the seams. The tape is meant to help stabilize their tendons and joints and provide pressure relief.
TheBlaze spoke with medical professionals about what appears to be the quickly growing trend of kinesiology tape (or kinesio tape), which was developed 30 years ago.
Dr. David Kruse, a board-certified sports medicine physician at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, Calif., who was a member of the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team and now serves as a physician for the men’s national team, said the Olympics themselves have been seeing the tape more since 2008.
“[It] seems like all of a sudden now since [we] have a mass collection of athletes from around the world at the Olympic games,” Kruse said in an email to TheBlaze. “What you’re seeing is an increase in international use as well.”
Kinesio tape mimics what some braces can do, but it is more lightweight, flexible and can applied where some braces clearly cannot. Several companies manufacture the highly elastic tape, including the company Kinesiology Tape, which states that the product “provides targeted pain relief by relieving pressure and increasing circulation to help speed recovery.”
Dr. Jennifer Hanes, a board-certified emergency and forensic physician in Austin, Texas, told TheBlaze that, when applied correctly, the tape is meant to mimic the anatomy and physiology of the joints and muscles it is targeting. She noted a number of studies have found the tape improves range of motion — something she has seen in her practice as well. She said there are no conclusive studies showing that it can improve healing though. Like many, Hanes said the tape is not meant to be a permanent fix but a “short solution.”
Dr. Stephen Estner who owns three chiropractic practices in the Providence, Rhode Island, area said his patients have experienced some pain relief from using the tape, which he has found to last five to six days through normal activities.
Other physicians have expressed the differing views in the medical community regarding the effectiveness of the tape. According to a recent story by the Today show, some say the tape’s benefits are only in theory:
“It’s cotton tape that has some sort of adhesive that mimics the elasticity of the skin,” says Dr. Aaron Mares, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at UPMC Sports Medicine and associate team physician for the University of Pittsburgh football team.
[...]
“[Kinesio tape] is not something that harms the patients. If athletes feel this may help benefit them from a performance standpoint, I have no problems with them trying it,” says Mares.
Today reports orthopedic surgeon David Geier saying the tape wouldn’t improve structural damage, like tears.
“After all, it’s tape,” Geier said.
Hanes told TheBlaze that although the tape can be a good tool, it’s really only useful for a “small subset of the population.”
“My advice usually is, if your paycheck depends upon it, absolutely use it,” she said.
For more recreational athletes or those considering the tape due to injuries from general exercise, Hanes said it could actually make their situation worse.
“I would say if you’re in the middle of an event and a trainer tapes you, that’s fantastic,” Hanes said. “If you have time to think about it and then go buy it, [...] you need to be looking for other solutions.”
Hanes explained those using the tape in order to maintain their general fitness routine should be looking at strength training for specific areas that need it or changing the sport they’re doing instead.
Kruse expressed a similar view saying it should only be used on a case-by-case basis and only under professional guidance.
Watch this WLWT clip where a physical therapist with certification in kinesio tape therapy explains its uses and the importance of proper application for its correct function:
The tape was developed three decades ago by Japanese chiropractor Kenso Kaze and seems to have grown exponentially in use in recent years. The Guardian reported that thousands of healthcare professionals are now taking taping classes.
Hanes said her experience in applying the tape comes from knowledge of the body’s anatomy and physiology and training from someone who was experienced with it. Kruse said if the tape were not applied appropriately for the injury type it was targeted to treat, it would act as a placebo.
With the tape making a full-fledged appearance at this summer’s Olympics, The Guardian reports University of Bedfordshire sports professor John Brewer saying he doesn’t know if the tape will still be adorning athletes bodies five years from now. Kruse said though that while there are a lot of techniques in sports medicine that come and go, he believe the tape will stick around but will most likely be improved in its form and application as it is used more often.
Estner said with the tape improving range of motion, he thinks we’ll continue to see it at major sporting events as well.
“We’re dealing with peak performance here with Olympians,” Estner said. “If there is an edge to be had, it is going to go viral. Athletes at this level have to maximize every part of their body and if anything is lacking . . . it could be the difference between medals.”
This story has been updated since its original posting to include more information.
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Comments (127)
blazingaway
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:32pmwhat a joke … probably has some chemical on it that can be absorbed through the skin
Report Post »Bigmac1947
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 3:36pmNeed a big piece to put over Obama’s mouth.
Report Post »Too_Far_Gone
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 3:46pmKinda fat arn’t they ? ..
Report Post »zman173rd
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 5:22pmI wanna know why everbody (almost) is wearing yellow tennies?!
Report Post »mastice
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 8:29pm@Blazingaway
No, there is no chemical in it… I’ve had it done in physical therapy to my arms. I was a skeptic at first but after they put it on it works at temporarily alleviating pain. (for about 24 hours or so)
Report Post »KURT1010
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 5:39amI also want to know about those ugly colored shoes by nike , probably made in china. Reminds of the disco era…..
Report Post »Thomas_Jefferson
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 10:25amHas anyone notice that volleyball players have no @$$.
Report Post »Their legs go up to their lower back.
Realman30
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 1:58pmDitto!
In 3 years they‘ll be diagnosed with ’The Kinesiology Condition.’
Report Post »striker_58201
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:24amNope, no chemicals! I’ve used it on a calf muscle and it really works!!
Report Post »Tri-ox
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:26pmSo, in other words, they’re cheating. That’s nice.
Report Post »3monkeysmomma
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 3:59pmWould you think a guy in a knee brace was “cheating”?
Report Post »nowonuno
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 4:56pmObviously a slow news cycle covering for Obama by the uninformed media. Cheating? Really? Kinesio tape is just thin, stretchy, waterproof tape. You put it on with a little tension and it slightly lifts the skin to allow the lymph system to do it’s job. Although it gives a little support, it is nothing like medical tape that you would use to wrap an ankle. The colors are pure style. They have to sell it, right. It is the best $12 investment out there. Better than 2 frappe crappies at $tarbuck$. I have used it for back spasms, on my neck for migraines, for shin splints, to ease the pain of a torn meniscus and align my kneecap during soccer, for plantar fasciitis, etc. Put this over a nasty bruise and it will be gone in a couple of days.
Kinesio tape has been around for decades (http://www.kinesiotaping.com/). I prefer the pre-cut KT tape (http://www.kttape.com/) from Sports Authority or Dicks. If you are an athlete, especially an over-the-hill, out-of-shape weekend warrior (me), Kinesio tape is your best friend. Look on YouTube for plenty of how-to videos. it is amazing that something so simple could be this beneficial.
Report Post »CanIjustSay
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 6:04pmMost research shows it’s mostly just a placebo effect. It’s not so much the tape vs what the person believes the tape is ding. How much could it beneft someone who is in tape form? The question is, would it make a difference if they didn’t use it?
Report Post »ThePostman
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 8:24pmIn kick boxing? Yes.
Report Post »paperpushermj
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:25pmWhere does one go to get the job of taping these Athletes bodies up? Looks Interesting
Report Post »StatenJM
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:37pmKinesio tape is quite great stuff, it is good in getting proprioreceptors to “notice” proper posture and helps you stay that way, as well as many other things though I think some of the claims go beyond its ability…anyway contact some of your local Chiropractors it is becoming a tool used by many of them.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 6:36pmYou must have prior TSA training.
Report Post »bobdog19006
Posted on August 12, 2012 at 10:25amAnd liberals make fun of Christians for believing in magic.
Report Post »strewth_cobber
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 7:06amJapan – initial taping training with Sumo wrestlers.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:14pm“Do it yourself” casting material when obamacare kicks in..
Report Post »vigibill
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:00pm…and I thought it was to distract from the nudity.
Report Post »WatchingThePuppetShow
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:53pmThis is the next step for Viagra….think of the possibilities!
Report Post »Daniel from TN
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:52pmThis tape sounds like it has a mental effect: If you THINK you will perform better using it then you probably will. The same effect occured in amateur softball several years ago when graphite bats were used. If a player was convinced he/she could hit the ball further using a graphite bat, then they usually did.
Report Post »LIBERTARIAN T38
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:09pmYou stole my thunder…when I saw a physical therapist explaining its benefits, I went from being skeptical to laughing…ask any doctor, the placebo effect can be as high as 30%. Sorry, I look at physical therapy like chiropractics…and voodoo…some sear it’s real.
Report Post »OuttheSocialist
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 4:33amKind of like the Mormons magic underware.
Report Post »justasurvivor
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:59pmI use duct tape personally. Everywhere. Wait til YOU hit 40. Everything starts falling apart.
Report Post »Obamujahadeen
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:21pmI use it everywhere too, it‘s the most useful product ever invented next to electricity which it can be used to ’hold that together’ too! ;)
Report Post »LewisLorenz
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:09pm“The tape is meant to help stabilize their tendons and joints and provide pressure relief.”
The tape provides an unfair advantage to some athletes over those who choose not to use the tape. Like doping, these un-natural aids to athleticism should be banned. The Olympics should celebrate unaltered human athletic ability.
Report Post »Kupo
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:26pmagreed
Report Post »abeliever2010
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:54pmAGREED!
Report Post »What next…..
faithkills
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:14pmWhy not force tall athletes to wear braces to hunch them over, tax rich ones, and put slow ones on motor scooters?
Outrage over violations of the ‘purity of sport’ is silly. The job of these people is to distract you from what is being done to you. They are professionals. Of course they will do whatever they can to excel at their job. They have a work ethic.
The moral purpose of sport is to teach children how to compete, that competition is important, and how to compete civilly.
A marker of how socialist a society has become is how much adults care about spectator sport. We’ll soon have mass brawls in stadiums like other nations.
Idolatry of sport is sad commentary about how much the welfare state has infantilized Americans. We have replaced real competition with vapid virtual competition.
Enjoy the bread and circuses.
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:26pmI guess you should ban asprin and Ibuprofen from the sports too, can’t have anyone having an advantage. In fact, they should bar any athlete from receiving any physicians care during the games, to ensure they are all on equal footing.
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:27pmNext it will be wheels to reduce the pounding on your feet. How about a CO2 assisted pole vault? A cement boxing glove?
ALL mechanical aids should be banned.
Report Post »The_Cabrito_Goat
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:32pmThe first olympicgames were performed naked…..possibility
Report Post »wboehmer
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:57pmHow ’bout this idea . . .
Put the doping drugs IN THE TAPE where it can be continuously absorbed through the athletes’ skin.
Report Post »LewisLorenz
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:33pmThe purity of the original reason for the Olympic games is important to preserve. We can debate whether aspirin and clothes should be allowed in the Olympic Games, but we have diminished the games way beyond that by allowing aids that are much more artificial. The height of ridiculousness in these games was allowing a man with no feet to compete in a footrace! With all due respect and compassion for the man’s ability to overcome his obstacles, the Olympics is not a showcase for human technology. Is a place to display natural unassisted athletic abilities. That‘s what it was originally intended to do and that’s the goal it has lost sight of today. The Olympic Games would have much more relevance if we returned to its original intent.
http://www.lewislorenz.com/?p=302
Report Post »Leader1776
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:41pmI knew it wouldn’t take long for the right-wing tapers to come out of the woodwork.
Report Post »faithkills
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 2:49pm“The Olympic Games would have much more relevance if we returned to its original intent.”
Honoring pagan gods?
Sports has two purposes.
1) to train children to compete
2) to anesthetize adults into thinking they are part of meaningful competition
That said, I’m not against sports. I’m against socialized sports. Don’t tax me so you can sit on your couch and vicariously feel like you are an adequate human male.
Report Post »dodgedart1966
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 7:32pmShould they also ban ace bandages for athetes. That’s all this seems to be, just like wrapping an ace bandage around your knee before a game.
Report Post »Maybe they should also ban high quality sneakers for runners, make them all use old Chuck Taylors.
grayling646
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 10:13pmI didn’t know asscheeks had tendons.
Report Post »romadave
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:03pmThe tape on the belly of that volleyball lady looks to me like the camouflage that car designers put on next year’s model BMW or Lambo to disguise the body panels. Keeps the auto mag’s guessing at the real shape underneath.
Maybe she is trying to disguise her natural perfectly normal belly to keep up with those 16 year old gymnasts’ flat tummies. If she is feeling that uncomfortable, why not try a control top one-piece swimsuit.
Report Post »Montana_boy
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:51amThis is a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit just waiting to be made…
Report Post »KevINtampa
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:10pmAnd the announcement is heard over the studio PA system, “Montana_Boy calling Brian Sack to the break room. Brian Sack to the break room. That is all.”
Report Post »hi
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:49amThe Blaze had a pic of a male taped shoulder but wanted to show the female fanny tape instead.
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:56amAnd you have a prob with that? Why?
Report Post »The_Cabrito_Goat
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:34pmThere are such a thing as woman on the Internet :P
Report Post »hi
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:46amObamacare
Report Post »You have a broken leg or DiabetesHere’s a roll of tape.
Next.
deeberj
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:41am“The tape is meant to help stabilize their tendons and joints and provide pressure relief.”
It’s just tape. This sounds like a ridiculously stupid fad, like those Phiton necklaces worn by sports atheletes that are supposed to “stabilize and regulate the body’s energy flow”.
No different than the lucky pair of socks or undies never washed that they sometimes get attached to.
Report Post »Batjak456
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:24amPeople will buy (into) anything.
Therefore, I’m gonna try some of this tape.
Maybe it‘ll keep all those monkeys from flyin’ out my azz.
Or, at least slow ‘em down a little bit.
Ppffffttt.
BATJAK456
ALL GAVE SOME
Report Post »SOME GAVE ALL
normbal
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:04amMagnets. Copper bands. Homeopathy (if it’s so good, dump a bucket in lake Erie and treat the whole country), acupuncture, crystals, Rolfing, Orgone Therapy, Reiki, and now taping?
Homeopathy, when scrutinized by Randomized Control Trials, placebo-controlled, does nothing.
Acupuncture, when you have a janitor put on a white coat and randomly stick needles in people, does nothing more than professionally trained people.
This is another fad/trend.
“There’s a sucker born every minute.” – PT Barnum
Report Post »3monkeysmomma
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 4:02pmRemember phrenology? Doctors used to dianose people based on the bumps on their head!
Report Post »RightThinking1
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 9:51amI was amused that one of the ‘professional’ sources was a chiropractor.
Report Post »I know, I know…, here comes the storm of anecdotal commentary about how great chiropractic is. Sorry, I think it’s entirely BS. Every ambulance chaser in the phone book has a fellow-traveler chiropractor on speed dial.
As someone who has chronic back pain, I‘ve spent a good deal of time studying the ’practice’, and have decided that it is snake oil. I wonder how much insurance/medicare/medicaid money gets soaked up by acupuncture/chiropractic/aroma therapy every year?
As for the Olympics, they are just jocks, and it is just entertainment. To assign some higher meaning to it is absurd. Every time I see a weeping ‘Olympian’, I feel like weeping myself, but for a different reason. What an overblown crock…
BeingThere
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:52amSomewhere, the inventor of this tape is laughing and saying to his or her self, “Look at these idiots, wearing this tape all over their bodies!!!” LOL
Maybe we need a tape that can fix the liberal brain?????
Report Post »scuba13
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:02amI would be happy if it would work at keeping Harry Reids mouth closed.
Report Post »LIBERTARIAN T38
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:13pmLike the Breatheright strips. After a few years everyone realized they didn’t do anything.
Report Post »buyundbuy
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:51amIt will very quickly become a status symbol.
Report Post »scrudge
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:50amAh Yes….. who cares…. its all about money…. don’t forget to get your rubbers
Report Post »cristo52
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:37amDuring the last couple weeks?
Couple weeks?
Report Post »Todd P
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:25amThe tape is ugly.
Report Post »TONY BOLOGNA
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:54amYou’re ugly!
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:18amIm sure they will be well compensated after the games .
Report Post »They see Rubes everywhere.
Edohiguma
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:14amGiven how soft that tape is I have serious doubts that it’s supporting anything. I’m somehow reminded of that nose tape that was so in a few years ago and everybody who used it believed that it made it easier to supply his body with oxygen. Actual scientific research on it then revealed that it was really completely useless for that purpose.
That the tape can improve the range of motion sounds totally BS to me. A joint has a certain maximum amount of degrees it can turn. That amount of degrees is limited by the design of the joint. No tape in the world can change that. Same with tendons. If you overstretch them, you overstretch them. No tape can prevent that.
Report Post »Sorocialism
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:38amIn the provided photos it appeared to me that these people just wanted to stop the butt and bellyjiggles. In today’s media that is what would have come out as the focus in the matches anyways….who wins isn’t as important anymore…it’s about how your butt looks in the outfit.
Report Post »OKIE23MAR1775
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:06amLike a back brace, it serves to remind the athlete to move correctly.
Report Post »TONY BOLOGNA
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 11:13amThose nose ‘clips’ do work. They “pull” on each nostril, thus opening up the nasal cavity to increase the flow of air through the nose into the lungs. You may have remembered one scientific study implying that they did not work, however, there were numerous scientific studies indicating that it did work!
As for this article and the tape that mimics fibrous muscle tissue and tendons, I guess that you know better than doctors who claim that it does help a little, especially in professional athletes where just the slightest advantage can mean the difference between winning and losing.
You, my friend, are a classic example of how “a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing”. As an example, you may think you are smart and know things, however, in reality, you really don’t know things sufficiently to win an argument while discussing these “things”.
Report Post »lel2007
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:03amMagnets ! Magnets are the answer, not no stinking tape. A copper bracelet works pretty good too.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:28amI thought it was crystals, dude. Man, like, I have this pyramid I get in to meditate every day, and it’s so far out, man. It’s so groovy.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:56amMaybe this tape will help Pelosi, although we need lots of it to cover her mouth, her face, shoot, let’s just do her up like a mummy. And while we are at it, Harry Reid, Moochelle, etc…..
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:30pmMagnets will give you an edge when the steel bar pulls you out of the starting gate. Oops, that’s soap box derbies.
Report Post »9111315
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 1:35pmWe live on one big magnet!
Report Post »RightThinking1
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 9:57amYou people clearly haven’t discovered the Pyramid Power sleep system:
Report Post »http://guardiantrader.com/Pyramid_Power.html
sWampy
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:00amYawn, the olympics like all organized sports, are a huge waste of money, time, and resources, but on the other hand, they do keep the useful idiots entertained.
Report Post »majasdad
Posted on August 12, 2012 at 4:15amNot everyone finds porn surfing in Mom’s basement while washing down twinkies with gallons of coke entertaining Swampy.
Report Post »