KT Tape?? Anyone tried it?? Reviews??

BuddhaMom74
BuddhaMom74 Posts: 147
in Fitness and Exercise
I pulled my hamstring tendon last Saturday halfway through my 13K run :( Stayed off it completely for a week then ran 2K this past Saturday, 3K Tuesday morning and 5K this morning. While looking up info on things to make it better I came across KT Tape and it looks super cool! At $25 a roll - just want to know if anyone's had success before I fork over the money.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • blobby10
    blobby10 Posts: 357 Member
    Was told by my sons physio that it gives more of a psychological benefit rather than a medical one. However I believe that any benefit is better than nothing so if it helps you then go for it!
  • cmcostello23
    cmcostello23 Posts: 23 Member
    I developed posterior tibial tendinitis about a month before my first marathon and along with usual treatment (some rest, ice, elevation and ibuprofen) KT tape worked great for me! It was not $25 though...I got it at a local pharmacy for $10. It really made a huge difference, I followed some directions I found on you-tube on how to wrap my ankle and I went from very painful runs to pain free runs. In the end I was able to run my marathon with absolutely no pain. I was very impressed with it!
  • BuddhaMom74
    BuddhaMom74 Posts: 147
    It's $25 a roll here in Canada! :neutral_face:
    ...although...most retailers here have jumped on the bandwagon and are having "Black Friday" sales here tomorrow (even though our Thanksgiving is in October!!) and I noticed SportChek has it on for $19.99 a roll, so perhaps I'll go buy some.

    I'll invest in a $19.99 psychological benefit - but not a $25 one!! Lol :)
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    I haven't applied it myself, but my Physiotherapist has used it on me a few times for a hip injury that was preventing me from running. I don't understand how some tape provides any benefit, but it really does seem to work. Psychological or real, it worked for me :)
  • Jellif1sh
    Jellif1sh Posts: 27 Member
    It helps, and every bit helps when you're injured. The issue, however, is that it isn't the tape that helps necessarily, but knowing where to place it. If you don't place the tape correctly, it's really not much better than randomly applying scotch tape. I know this first hand :)
  • AgentOrangeJuice
    AgentOrangeJuice Posts: 1,069 Member
    My physical therapist got me on it over a year ago for my knee. Love it. Use some spray adhesive to give it some extra stick so it lasts longer.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    KT is ok. It's packaged nicely and looks cool.

    It's athletic tape though, and once I learned how to apply my athletic tape correctly, it was just as effective, just didn't look as olympic high speed.
  • BuddhaMom74
    BuddhaMom74 Posts: 147
    Thanks all! I picked some up this morning and will give it a go for my run in the morning. I watched the video on how to apply it and given that it's the back of my leg, it's going to be finicky doing it myself, but I'll hope for the best!
  • ucabucca
    ucabucca Posts: 606 Member
    Universities use it as well as US ski team and other international athletes. Our team got me to try it and I use it. It seems weird so thin to support that much but it does It helps in tracking on knee and shoulders for me. I have used it for planter fasciitis a few times too. I am sure you can't get it that cheap in Cananda Amazon ships to Canada doesn't it
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    ucabucca wrote: »
    Amazon ships to Canada doesn't it
    Sometimes. Amazon in Canada is crap compared to the US site.

  • fat2strongbeth
    fat2strongbeth Posts: 735 Member
    I have found it really helpful with my knee. It is pricey, but worth it. I watched youtube videos first on how to use it so I wouldn't waste any.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    I get my shoulders taped for Crossfit competitions and it seems to help quite a bit. I wouldn't use it for regular training, but I would for a competition. Luckily, I've never had to pay for it since there are always people who sell it on site doing free tapings for competitors. The only 5K I do also has free tapings there. It's always the Rock Tape people.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,948 Member
    KT help with a little more "tautness" over a joint, but since it's epidermal, it's really not supporting the joint nor the injured muscle at all. It can help with performance on certain muscles though.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24959912

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24829961

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24411161

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • BuddhaMom74
    BuddhaMom74 Posts: 147
    So, after a few reviews of the instructional video, I taped myself this morning...it is really tricky taping the back of your leg by yourself while in the "stretch position"!
    Verdict: I'm not really sure it made a difference, but that could also be because of the difficulty I had putting it on.
    I did make it to almost 5K before I felt any discomfort, so I just pushed straight through to 5, then power walked for an additional 3K and had no discomfort with the power walk. Back now with my leg up with an ice pack.
    Thanks agin all :)
  • BuddhaMom74
    BuddhaMom74 Posts: 147
    ...and ninerbuff - thanks for posting those resources...interesting...
  • FullOnBurn
    FullOnBurn Posts: 43 Member
    For specific uses, check out SpiderTech as well.
  • scg17
    scg17 Posts: 88 Member
    They used it on me for years at PT. I felt like it helped with nerve pain more than anything? I've had it on my leg, hip, spine, shoulder, and it made me feel better, but I don't think it offered any real support.

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