Comments for Kinesio Taping - The Latest Sports Fad at http://www.randi.org/site , comment 1 to 12 out of 12 comments http://www.randi.org/site Mon, 20 May 2013 08:03:15 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25897 Fair point about the use of tape to improve gait. But I've used bog standard 'Elastoplast'(EP)strapping to achieve the same effect. I've also used Zinc Oxide tape for the same reasons, but this lacks elasticity so only used on ligament injuries. EP was more useful for musculoskeletal injuries. - Peebs Sat, 11 Aug 2012 12:37:12 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25896 I've seen Kinesio Tape being used in physical therapy clinics, but not in the ways advertised. They use the tape to create tension that reminds a patient when their posture, or foot alignment is incorrect. The feeling of tension reminds the patient to correct themselves without having to always be looking in a mirror. The advantage over bracing is that it forces the patient to engage the muscles, strengthening them over time. Bracing prevents incorrect movement, but also removes the need for the muscles to engage and that can lead to further atrophy. The clinic I volunteer at only uses it for this facilitative purpose. We had a girl with a lumbar spinal concussion and she was having sever gait issues. Her legs were internally rotating, and she was over pronating on heel strike, and under pronating as she moved to toe off. Essentially landing her foot on the outside of the heel and rolling all the way around the inside edge. Trying to get this 11 year old to focus on all the things she needed to correct was overwhelming to her and she was getting frustrated. While fixing the girl's leg in the correct position the therapist added some kinesio tape from the back of her hip to the medial part of her knee. They also added some to the ankle. The facilitative tension made the girl drastically improve her gait. It wasn't a cure by any means, but the girl was responding to the tension and was able to engage the necessary muscles to remove the tension. It allowed the correct gait to feel right to her because she had a point of reference to focus on instead of verbal feedback. I've also seen it used in patients with shoulder impingement. One component of impingement is poor posture when we roll our shoulders forward. They add a little tension tape to the back and it helps remind the patient to sit up straight. Now I realize that these stories are anecdotal, but I would love to see some research in this direction instead of testing the ridiculous claims made by the company that makes it. The sports fad aspect is unfortunate, but I think the tape can have some good applications in the rehab setting. - bekkison Sat, 11 Aug 2012 12:03:30 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25882 Whether placebos like this tape are an indicator of gullibility or comfort, I think it's worth realizing that there are at least two kinds of such mental tricks people play: For people who 'wear their lucky socks' it's simply an indicator of their need to have a bit of comfort and potentially a funny story to mention. None of these people actually believes it makes a difference in their performance. In fact, they feel that with every performance this item gets somehow imbued, for them only, with pedigree and since they can't bring their best friend to a performance, this has to be an acceptable alternative. On the other hand, comfort is now what people seek when they suspend their thinking to allow wide-eyed woo-peddlers to sell them impossible claims of medical miracles. They seek an artificial edge. They want to believe that this 'thing' is giving it to them. And yes, it's fine, because they're at the Olympics and we're not. But telling the world that they got there by embracing ignorance should be at least a little embarrassing to them and their families. Naturally, that doesn't compare with the pride and accomplishment of being an Olympic athlete and we should have nothing but admiration for them, but now that they're on the world stage, they should realize that they have a certain responsibility to NOT promote ignorance but instead to encourage achievement. And what could be better than to say, like Bolt does, "I'm the best. Naturally." Instead of implying that they got the edge by using some coloured tape that only a 2-year old would otherwise believe has magical powers (since the medical effect - entirely apart from being unproven - makes no sense whatsoever to anyone with a basic anatomical knowledge). Naturally, along with the exposure of this scam we should look at acupuncture, cupping, reflexology and other forms of quackery but to conclude I'd like to draw our attention to the inevitable real danger of injury clearly illustrated in Olympic weightlifting, which depends so much on a complete awareness of every part of the body. One might be tempted to say 'ah but the added tightness is at least as good as no tape at all since it draws attention to that potentially sensitive body part'. But that's not the case. This tape is not like a weight belt, on which you can rely to keep your guts in under heavy lifting. These are all compound exercises, where every muscle's degree of contraction must be carefully balanced with every other. Superficial tightness may alter the athlete's perception and throw off that sensitive balance. A false sense of security under this kind of strain can cause irreparable damage to the athlete and their career. It's interesting that if an athlete just misses their mark or somehow underperforms, the tape will never be blamed. But if they succeed, ahh.. first amongst equals! That bright, fluorescent tape MUST have made the difference between winning and losing. Far be it of anyone to ever doubt its efficacy when an Olympic athlete sees it fit to wear on the podium! But for those who lose their edge because they take the focus off themselves and place their trust - even momentarily - in this kind of product, therapy or other woo, perhaps it isn't worth the gains in coolness and fashion flair after all. - CriticalSkeptic Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:11:03 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25881 Fascinating, Steve! I've noticed all those patches on many of the olympic athletes' skin, and I wondered what they were. But even as a skeptic, I did not previously suspect that they were pseudo-science. When you mention the "little tabs across the bridge of their nose", the first thing that comes to my mind are the devices made like self-stick bandages with embedded plastic springs that help to pull open the nasal passages and improve breathing. I have been wearing these nasal strips in bed for several years, and they have helped me breathe much easier at night. I can certainly see where they might also help an athlete breathe during strenuous activity. Surely your reference must be about something else? - Jim Shaver Mon, 06 Aug 2012 07:33:11 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25880 written by james890, August 05, 2012 Never believed in the magic of Kinesio Tapes (KinesioTaping.hk) since it appeared back in 2008 until I tried it after an injury, it does seem to work and the pain is a lot less afterwards. If you use it together with the ice treatment, it is amazing. Don't you understand, then, that it was the ice, not the tape? The standard treatment for a sports injury is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation - garyg Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:20:49 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25879 Never believed in the magic of Kinesio Tapes (KinesioTaping.hk) since it appeared back in 2008 until I tried it after an injury, it does seem to work and the pain is a lot less afterwards. If you use it together with the ice treatment, it is amazing. - james890 Sun, 05 Aug 2012 20:17:45 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25878 It's amazing how many variations on Dumbo's magic feather people can come up with. - EarlyOut Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:39:33 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25877 The song of the Olympics is "I believe". Clearly that includes coloured tape. - stag Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:48:20 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25876 The placebo effect cannot be casually tossed aside. At levels of competition where first and second are decided by hundredths of a second, any small effect matters. If an athlete believes their gimmick, woo, or god helps them, then it does. However, it doesn't mean the product works any more than wearing a pair of lucky socks. - One Eyed Jack Sun, 05 Aug 2012 05:21:16 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25873 In many international sports, if something is believed to offer an advantage (it does not necessarily have to be beneficial in reality) it will be regulated. The fact that no sporting body regulates these gizmos is a pretty good indication that there is no benefit. - MadScientist Sat, 04 Aug 2012 14:38:17 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25872 Would they be the strange strips of tape some of the Olympic divers were wearing? The ones I noticed seemed to follow the lines of the Spinus Erectus muscles. They actually looked about as much use as a fishnet condom! - Peebs Sat, 04 Aug 2012 11:45:02 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1791-kinesio-taping-the-latest-sports-fad.html#comment-25871 This article is just spot on! No question about tape bracing an elbow, a knee or a wrist is useful especially if you are a shot putter, a handball player or something like that. The funny thing about the kinesio tape is that it's often not bracing such weak joints but instead just sticks to a open area of skin. - KrDa Sat, 04 Aug 2012 09:43:07 +0100