Kinesiology Tape Myths That Are Just Plain Wrong

It's the tape of all tapes!

Applying Kinesiology Tape can have some seemingly miraculous effects on pain and muscle injuries. But naturally, there’s also a few myths out there that sound a bit fishy. Some good, some bad. Like taping your face to prevent a headache or taping your stomach for indigestion. Come on. 

We’re here to separate the fact from the fiction. Here are 5 Kinesiology Tape myths that you simply should not believe…

The inventor of Kinesiology Tape, Kenzo Kase (legend), argues that muscles are ‘facilitated’ when Kinesiology Tape is applied from the origin to the insertion, and are ‘inhibited’ when the direction is from the insertion to the origin.

That doesn't sound like it makes a lot of sense and, to be honest, doesn’t sit well with our logical brains. There's no difference in the properties of any length of tape; and once stuck, your body has no way of telling which direction you started the application. There have also been some good studies discarding this theory.

The only time you should worry about direction is when you’re specifically trying to prevent a certain movement (postural correction, prevention of lateral rotation etc). So next time you’re taping someone. Don’t worry about the direction. Use your clinical reasoning to decide which direction is best, stretch the tape or muscle accordingly, and apply.

Baloney! There’s the possibility here that we’re about to start a huge psychological discussion around the merits of colour therapy. Psychological effects aside, the colour of tape has absolutely no bearing on its performance. Other than to look really cool!

Our red Kinesiology Tape is made of the exact same material structure as our black Kinesiology Tape. The same amount of fibres, the same glue, the same weave. Aside from the colour, nothing else is different. Your choice of colour should come purely down to taste, or necessity if it needs to match a team colour.

Another rumour that just doesn’t hold merit. Yes, we sell tape, so you may think we're being bias, but it doesn't. 

We’ll be the first to admit that there’s still no true gold standard Kinesiology Tape research. It's still seen as a relatively new thing. However, there are a lot of really high quality taping studies showing positive effects on motor control, pain relief, muscle function and proprioception. 

Once you combine that with the positive anecdotal evidence from the thousands of therapists and athletes around the world who use Kinesiology Tape every day, it’s hard to argue that it has no effect. We know it does, and if you’ve worn Kinesiology Tape before, you’ll know it too.

Like all tapes, Kinesiology Tape is not a miracle cure. It won’t fix underlying issues. So, don't allow your athletes to become reliant on it, because that isn't exactly its purpose.

Kinesiology Tape is the perfect tool to use as part of your athlete’s rehab program. That's the keyword - tool. Being able to perform exercises with reduced pain and greater control will lead to a greater commitment to the program and a greater chance of achieving full recovery.

Let's all say it again together, Kinesiology Tape isn’t a miracle cure. It’s just tape. Some injuries are beyond the scope of what tape can help with. The benefits are there waiting for you, but just remember to be realistic when you purchase a roll.

Taping your calf may help take away the pain of that minor strain, but it won’t prevent you from injuring it through overuse. Kinesiology Tape is a flexible tape too, so even strapping your ankle won’t prevent you from rolling it in a pitch divot.

Check out our learn page to see some of the quick and easy ways you can apply Kinesiology Tape to lots of different areas of the body.