Is your Kinesiology Tape not sticking? Is the tape peeling off halfway through your exercise?
We can't all expect to the get the application perfect on the first attempt. If you're having some trouble getting the most out of your K Tape, you may just be missing a step or two in the application process. Sometimes the smallest tweak can make all the difference.
Rob Madden here. Sports Physio and Elite Performance Coach in Formula One. I’ve worked with athletes of all levels for more than a decade and used thousands of meters of SPORTTAPE K Tape. Safe to say, I’ve seen it all.
SPORTTAPE K Tape has been my go-to for decades, so believe me, it sticks. Follow this guide and I guarantee you won’t have a problem with your K Tape not sticking anymore.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR K TAPE STICK EVERYTIME:
WHAT IS KINESIOLOGY TAPE?
Kinesiology Tape is a stretchy, cotton (or synthetic) tape designed to mimic the elasticity of the skin. It’s used by athletes and therapists worldwide to provide proprioceptive feedback, pain relief and support to joints, muscles and tendons.
K Tape has rapidly become one of the most used products in sports medicine. Gracing the bodies of athletes and weekend warriors all over the world as they strive to compete injury-free. They're still commonly made from cotton with various blends of nylon, lycra and other materials to add stretch. Some contain latex (not ours), and fabric density can vary greatly.
Let's go through my top tips on exactly how to get your roll of K Tape to stick, everytime.
1. APPLY IN ADVANCE
That’s one hell of a glue on the SPORTTAPE K Tape, but, it needs time to set to the skin. You should apply your tape in advance, 30-45 minutes, at least, but an hour is best. If you can do that, you’ll be golden.
This is especially important if you're off for your local Sunday League game or chasing greatness on the race track and you know you're going to be getting sweaty and pushing your body to its limit. Apply your K Tape with plenty of time for the glue to set and you'll be winning.
2. ROUND THE EDGES
Arguably the most important step and one that people neglect when they're in a hurry.
Rounding the edges of your K Tape with a pair of scissors means that it's far less likely to catch on items of clothing and loosen. For the cleanest results, you'd use a pair of tape cutting scissors, like our SPORTTAPE K Tape Scissors, but the important thing is that you round those edges.
If you'd like to see exactly how it's done, we've got a video showing you exactly that. Click here to watch it and learn how to cut K Tape.
3. CLEAN, DRY SKIN
Moisturisers, oils or balms are the devil's juice when it comes to K Tape. They stop the glue from sticking, so it’s essential to make sure your skin is clean and dry before applying. We'd actually recommend that you don't apply any creams up to 24 hours prior to you applying your tape. Keep it on the safe side.
This isn't essential, but if you want to improve your tape's grip to your skin, shave if you can. You need a good surface area to stick the tape to and hair doesn’t count. Clean, dry and smooth skin is a tape's best friend.
4. DON’T TOUCH THE GLUE
As soon as you touch the glue it loses some of it’s adhesion and leaves a residue behind, and that’s not good news when it comes to making tape last. You can avoid this by ripping the backing paper at various points (see above image). This allows you to stick the tape down without touching the glue.
This is important in ensuring your K Tape is as sticky as possible, before it's even applied to the skin.
5. TAPE TO SKIN
Where you can, it’s always better to tape directly onto the skin rather than over another piece of tape. K Tape sticks okay to other tape, but it sticks much better to your skin.
From our experience, the majority of cases of K Tape not sticking is down to the ends being applied to more tape. We appreciate it may not be that simple on certain applications, but if you're able to apply the ends of your strip to skin at the very least, then it could make all the difference.
6. EASY ON THE STRETCH
The main reason for ‘reactions’ to K Tape is that it’s been overstretched. Stretching the tape causes it to recoil, and this creates a bit too much friction for the skin. We regularly refer to this as a 'traction reaction'.
There’s never a reason to stretch the tape beyond 50-75%, and always make sure your ends are stuck down with no stretch. If your skin is feeling irritated under your tape, take it off immediately. If you're seeing any redness or blistering at the ends of your strips, this is most likely due to this.
Always apply a small test strip to your skin before using K Tape for the first time. Better to be safe than sorry.
7. GIVE IT A RUB
The final step in every K Tape application. Once you've beautifully applied your tape and everything is looking good, give it a good rub.
Giving the tape a good and effective rub after it's been applied is the best way to activate the tape glue's adhesion. Slightly heating up the glue allows it to stick faster and in doing so, will also put a little more pressure on the application.
And that's it. That's how we ensure that K Tape stays stuck everytime.
If you’re still struggling to get your K Tape to last then get in touch and tell us more about your application. We'll get you fixed up in no time. The only other thing that we could suggest, is taking a look at our Pre-Tape Spray, it's perfect for K Tape. If you want a little bit more of a guarantee, look no further.
