Olympians Go "crazy" For Tape

During the 2012 Olympics in London many athletes were wearing brightly colored tape

in various places on their bodies, leaving viewers wondering about its purpose. With all the different colors and designs, it looked like a fashion accessory. This crazy tape Olympics phenomenon first showed up in at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after one of the manufacturers of this tape, called Kinesio tape or elastic therapeutic tape, donated the tape to athletes from a number of countries.

Unlike the type of tape used by athletes to bind joints to limit their movement after injuries, Kinesio tape is stretchy like skin, allowing for movement. The tape, developed by a Japanese chiropractor named Kenzo Kase in the 1970s, is meant to support muscles and reduce inflammation and pain. It can either add pressure to a muscle or lessen pressure depending on how it is applied. The tape performs the same regardless of the which color an athlete uses. Some athletes feel that it improves their performance, which is why it was so prevalent during the Olympics when athletes want to perform at the highest possible level. They will try anything that might give them an edge. However, Olympians and other athletes aren't the only ones who use this type of tape. It is also sometimes used in the treatment muscular dystrophy and other health conditions.

While some athletes and trainers swear by this tape, scientific studies have yet to prove that the tape is actually beneficial. This is partly due to athletes using this tape along with other types of treatment or preventative measures, making it hard to prove exactly what is causing any benefits to performance. The tape may just be causing a placebo effect, causing athletes to be less worried about injuries and thus improving their performance. However, even without studies to back up its use, many trainers and physical therapists have found the use of elastic therapeutic tape beneficial in their practices and continue to recommend its use. Further studies are needed to determine whether it actually provides any benefits, as the few small studies previously completed offer conflicting results as to whether elastic therapeutic tape actually improves performance in healthy athletes.

by: Adrica Kaur

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