Kinesiology Tape - The Facts

When kinesiology tape was first displayed on the scantily clad bodies of athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, very few people had any idea what it was. Some thought it was a new type of tattoo, while others thought it was a part of the team uniforms. Over the next couple of years, k-tape became the hottest modality in the treatment of sports injuries for both high level athletes and weekend warriors. Since then, it has become firmly entrenched in mainstream medicine, and is now used in physical therapy clinics, lymphedema clinics, chiropractic offices and other medical practices. Pioneered by industry leader, Kinesio Tape, other brands quickly joined the market and there are now too many to count. Variations on the basic uncut roll also appeared, with precut strips of assorted sizes and shapes as well as precut applications for specific parts of the body. Despite this growth, however, the basic kinesiology tape specifications are very similar across brands and tape types. If you're still not sure exactly what kinesiology tape is or what kinesiology tape is used for, our handy infographic, "Kinesiology Tape - Just the Facts" should answer your questions.