Kinesio Tape and brands featuring they are the "stretchiest", although similar, are designed for different purposes.
Kinesio Tape, which mimics the texture and elasticity (stretch) of living human skin, is designed to help in rehabilitation and injury prevention. Its aim is to return the body to homeostasis.
Our clinicians feel that “Less is more.” Healing and healthy function are obtained and maintained through the minimum possible amount of tape and level of tension (stretch) for each application. Does that mean we never stretch the tape? Of course not! There are many applications which employ substantial tension on the tape, or where the tape is applied to stretched tissue, but these applications are used judiciously, in response to valid assessment protocols.
Study after study, conducted with Kinesio and other brands, has verified that elastic therapeutic tape does not enhance performance. No tape application can make anyone run faster, jump higher or lift more weight. A body can do what that body can do, although Kinesio Taping may make individuals feel more comfortable or less strained. As one clinician noted, “We are not trying to make normals into super-normals.”
Kinesio’s primary interest is in patient care and comfort. There are limits to the amount of stretch – or “tension” – any patient’s skin can tolerate, particularly over an extended period of rehabilitation or other treatment. But moderate stretch is important.
Kinesio® brand tape differs from rigid types of strapping tape in both form and function. Most strapping tapes are non-elastic, and are wrapped tightly around an injured joint or muscle to provide rigid support and restrict movement. They can only be worn for short periods of time, after which they must be removed to restore movement and circulation.
Kinesio® Tape, on the other hand, has unique elastic properties that allow it to provide an appropriate level of dynamic support, protecting muscles and/or joints, while still allowing a safe and functional range of motion.
Rather than being wrapped completely around injured joints or muscle groups, Kinesio® tape is applied directly over and/or around the periphery of these areas. This non-restrictive type of taping allows most applications to be worn for 4-5 days, allowing therapeutic benefits to accumulate 24/7 for the entire time they’re worn.