Kinesio Tape for Athletes: A Big Help, or Hype? Are there
medical benefits to the strips of tape used by many Olympic
athletes? Sheena Meredith, MD They've been hard to miss at this
year's Olympic Games: Strips of brightly colored tape adorning
the arms, legs, and torsos of many top athletes. But more than
just fashion is driving this trend. The tape is called Kinesio
tape. Many athletes believe it has medical benefits. The tape
was invented by Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase in the 1970s.
The U.K. web site for Kinesio tape claims it can alleviate pain,
reduce inflammation, relax muscles, enhance performance, and
help with rehabilitation as well as supporting muscles during a
sporting event. There has not been conclusive scientific or
medical evidence to confirm the effectiveness of the tape. A
review of evidence from 10 research papers for Kinesio tape to
treat and prevent sports injuries was published in the journal
Sports Medicine in February. - No clinically important results
were found to support the ta