If you have watched sporting events recently such as Olympic volleyball or basketball you have probably noticed what seems to a new fitness fashion trend.  Colorful strips of tape on various body parts of the athletes well this actually does serve a functional purpose.

This is known as Kinesiology tape.  What is Kinesiology tape?  It was developed in 1979 by Dr. Kenzo Kase.  It is elastic adhesive tape that can alleviate discomfort and facilitate lymphatic drainage.  It does this by microscopically lifting the skin to which it’s attached.  This lifting of the skin increases interstitial space that decreases inflammation and reduces pressure to the area.  It enables more effective flow of blood and lymphatic fluids to the target area.  This helps the body to return to homostasis or it’s original condition prior to the pain.

Now like any product that comes out and starts getting some attention many different versions of the product start hitting the market.  For the most part these different versions of the original are pretty good because the product has a very simple make-up.  Some of the different brands you can find are KT Tape, Strength Tape, Kenesio Tape (the original), Spider Tape, TheraBand  12745, 3B Scientific, and Rock Tape.  Of the brands we researched we really liked two.   KT Tape and Rock Tape stood out to us because of the holding ability and the endurance of the hold but all brands are mostly comparable.  So, you really can’t go wrong with most brands.

For the correct usage of the tape you can go to a specialist like a physical therapist to get the tape applied and instruction on how to use it yourself.  Or you can find very good instructional videos on YouTube on how to use Kenesiology tape.   And after appling it a couple of times on your own you will get the hang of it and shouldn’t need any further help.

So, if you have muscle or joint pains you might try this new drug free option.  And at least you will look like a world-class athlete will you wear it.