Kinesiology tape offers stretchy support to sore muscles

What's up with that colorful tape crisscrossing so many runners, volleyball players and triathletes these days?

It's called kinesiology tape, and ever since the Beijing Olympics two years ago, it's gone mainstream.

Once a product used almost exclusively by physical therapists, chiropractors and doctors post-surgery, the tape is now sold in sports stores so even recreational athletes can deck themselves out like a glass window when a hurricane's looming.

Think of the light elastic tape as a more flexible version of traditional athletic tape or bracing, kind of like an adhesive Ace bandage. It provides support for sore muscles or joints without restricting range of motion. That means an athlete can keep playing even after a muscle's been taped.

"The stretchiness sort of mimics what the muscle does," says Jessica Tranchina, a physical therapist who works with high-level endurance athletes in Austin. "When it contracts, it shortens; when it relaxes, it lengthens. Same with the kinesio tape."

Athletic tape, on the other hand, doesn't stretch, so it doesn't move with the body. Wrap an ankle with it, and that ankle can't move.

"If you put athletic tape on a volleyball player's shoulder, she won't be able to move her shoulder. But put kinesio tape on it and she can play a full game," says Ron Burnett, an Austin chiropractor who started using kinesio tape eight years ago after noticing professional cyclists using it.

Both Tranchina and Burnett use kinesio tape to treat bum knees and injured shoulders, plus sore backs, necks and ankles.

They use the tape on muscles that are tight or experiencing spasms, and to help prevent recurring injuries. Some people use the tape to prevent blisters or turf burn.

The tape can even be used to reduce bruising. It lifts the skin microscopically, increasing circulation and promoting lymphatic flow and drainage.

"It's like a Breathe Right strip," Burnett says. "It allows more fluid to flow through the area and helps dissipate bruises and swelling."

As for those fancy taped patterns you sometimes see created out of kinesio tape? Burnett, a triathlete and competitive rower himself, isn't a fan.

"I think it's gotten a little gimmicky," he says. "I'm a big proponent of keeping it simple. You don't have to spend four hours cutting it to have an effect."

Tranchina, who is a triathlete and runner, recommends getting professional advice before slapping on the tape, which is available for about $12 at area sports and running stores.

"You're probably not getting the most benefit out of it if you don't have a practitioner evaluate you first," she says.

But Jim Jenson, vice president of KT Tape, one of a handful of companies that makes kinesiology tape, says it doesn't take an expert to properly tape someone. The company offers an online library of two- to three-minute videos that demonstrate how to apply the tape for problems ranging from tennis elbow to plantar fasciitis and iliotibial band syndrome.

KT Tape is precut into 10-inch strips, with rounded edges that don't peel up. It's perforated so it can be used in I-shaped strips or pulled apart into Y-shaped strips for different applications. It comes in a rainbow of colors, including orange for Longhorn fans.

The tape can stay on for up to five days, depending on where it is used, he says. Feet and more hostile environments hold up just a day or two. It even stays on in the shower or pool, so swimmers can use it.

All that sticking power might lead you to wonder if removing it is akin to yanking a stubborn bandage off a hairy arm.

That all depends on your skin.

Jenson recommends peeling it off slowly rather than ripping it off quickly to leave skin — and hair — intact.

The tape can sometimes irritate a delicate hide and isn't a salve for every ailment, says Burnett, the chiropractor.

"If a pain is persisting, seek treatment," he says. "It's like fixing your car with duct tape. There are things you can do on your own and things you need a specialist for."

pleblanc@statesman.com; 445-3994