Therapeutic tape for athletes: Some swear by it, some swear at it

Throughout my middle school and high school careers, I have played on quite an array of sports teams. Sports, coaches, membership and level have all varied wildly, but the one variable that remained completely constant throughout was that every single team had members who used elastic therapeutic tape (ETT).ETT, which many people know through the KT brand (which is short for kinesiotape) is defined by Wikipedia as “an elastic cotton strip with an acrylic adhesive that is used for treating athletic injuries.” Personally, I can only define it as “a weird-looking fuzzy tape thing that is supposed to magically heal body parts that it touches.” I’ve stifled giggles while watching teammates laboriously applying long strips to their thighs and shoulders, wondering what benefit the flimsy fabric could possibly bring. I decided to investigate, once and for all, whether this mysterious tape is all it’s cracked up to be.The product certainly has its share of devotees. Jazmine Baehr, a track-and-field athlete and recent graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School, told me that, “I put little strips on my shoulder and wrist to give me that extra support I need, without the discomfort that regular white athletic tape has. It definitely helps. With kinesiotape, you still have full range of movement, unlike white tape, where you’re limited.” You might have seen the tape on professional athletes. It was all over the place at last summer’s Olympics, on everyone from triathletes to pingpong players. At the KT website, they explain that the product can “facilitate the body’s natural healing processes while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion.” It claims that the tape can “re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain, optimize performance, prevent injury, promote improved circulation and healing.”But these claims have had their share of dispute. In July 2012, the Advertising Standards Authority said that those claims were misleading. So we are left with a bit of a puzzle. Athletes say it works, but the research isn’t there. The final verdict? That as with many things in life, it might work simply because you believe in it — and because others believe in it. If you see your favorite professional athlete wearing it, you might want to try it out yourself. The “Why not?” attitude is the one I’ve come to personally endorse. The evidence I’ve seen isn’t conclusive in favor of the tape, but there’s also nothing to suggest that the tape is harmful. I hope that research will continue to develop our understanding of the product, and will eventually reach the point where the science and the anecdotes correlate. In the meantime, if it works for you, then why not use it? But understand that while it may assist with your injuries, the scientific community isn’t sure it will necessarily cure them, or significantly enhance your performance. In other words, don’t rely on it and don’t use it in isolation, or as a substitute for a more comprehensive therapy program. And don’t push your body when it hurts, hoping that the tape will magically protect you.