Kinesio Taping: Placebo Or Panacea?

It is now just about impossible to watch a sporting event without seeing the stuff. Reams and reams of bright, colorful tape have now been stretched over countless athletes. The already-colorful London Olympics quickly became the London Technicolor Games.

Kinesio Tape has become an everyday sight since the Beijing Olympics, and it’s perceived impact is spreading rapidly through the general populace. If I didn’t know better, I would say that it could very well be the next greatest thing since sliced bread.

But much like Rod Tidwell in “Jerry Maguire” would say, “show me the science"! This brings me to today’s question: is kinesio taping placebo or panacea?

First, let’s check out the claims. It was developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase. On their website, it is noted that the Kinesio Taping Method…

“… is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion.”

The tape is used to “re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain, optimize performance, prevent injury, and promote improved circulation and healing”.

It certainly sounds good. Now on to the science.

The most comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the research evidence to date was published in February 2012. The authors found 97 articles that mentioned kinesio taping, yet only 10 of these met the inclusion criteria for review (the article had to report an effect on outcome, and had to have a control group). Of the 10 studies, only 2 studies investigated sports-related injuries (specifically, shoulder impingement), and just one of these involved injured athletes.

With these inclusion criteria in mind, the authors reported that pain relief results were trivial, there were inconsistent range of motion outcome results, a “likely beneficial effect for proprioception” (though no positive outcome for ankle proprioception), and some benefit for strength outcomes.

The concluded that

“… there was little quality evidence to support the use of KT over other types of elastic taping in the management or prevention of sports injuries … The amount of case study and anecdotal support for KT warrants well designed experimental research, particularly pertaining to sporting injuries, so that practitioners can be confident that KT is beneficial for their athletes.”

It would appear that the biggest effect of Kinesio Taping – as far as the research is concerned thus far – is between the ears. There isn’t a problem with that as such, unless, of course, you claim that some other arbitrary and hypothetical physiological effect is purported to be taking place when perhaps it isn’t.

This is a similar discussion with most marketers that have created products for the mass health or health care market. There is always another latest and greatest, solve-the-problems-of-the-world next great widget. And as it stands, this particular widget sells for $90 per 103 inch roll, or $1.16 per foot. Widgets sure are pricey these days.

The marketing of placebo isn’t sexy. It isn’t a hot new fad. Perhaps the more important question in all of this is whether or not optimizing self care strategies (i.e optimizing exercise parameters and injury recovery strategies) would provide the same degree of improvement (if not greater) without the added expense of the tape. Does it provide any value-added benefit above and beyond what can be attained with exercise?

Of course, if you think it is making you better, then, well, it is. And perhaps that is the whole point.

Reference: Williams S, Whatman C, Hume PA, Sheerin K. (2912). Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness. Sports Med, 42: 153-164.

Photo credits: emilio labrador