The Kinesio Tape on the Olympic Volleyball Players

Both the tape and the new wrapping technique have spread mostly by word-of-mouth among athletes and trainers who swear by it. Cycling great Lance Armstrong reportedly dedicates a page to the tape in his latest book. Recently soccer superstar David Beckham traded jerseys after a game and was spotted with pink Kinesio tape on his back.

Some limited data suggest it may be effective. In July, the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Therapy published a study of 42 people with shoulder injuries. Half of them were treated with Kinesio tape applied in a pattern designed to support the injured muscle. The other half were given a “sham” treatment in which two strips of tape were simply pressed across the arm. The study was conducted by physical therapists at Winn Army Community Hospital in Fort Stewart, Ga., who didn’t receive funding from the tape company. Notably, the study participants who received the real therapeutic tape treatment reported an immediate improvement in pain.

Last year, Research in Sports Medicine published a study from San Jose State University showing that in 30 healthy test subjects, use of the tape along the lower trunk area appeared to increase the range of motion.
Kinesio claims that in addition to supporting injured muscles and joints, the new taping method helps relieve pain by lifting the skin, allowing blood to flow more freely to the injured area. The tape is also widely used in pediatric physical therapy for muscle disorders like cerebral palsy.

Given Kinesio’s high profile at the Olympics, it seems likely that we will be seeing more and more of it. Mr. Jarvis said the tape already is used by many professional basketball, baseball and football teams. Before the Olympics, the company Web site received about 600 views a day. Since Ms. Walsh appeared with the spider-like Kinesio pattern on her shoulder, Web traffic has jumped to 345,000 views daily.