What Is KT Tape?

From kttape.com:

What KT Tape Is:

If you’re training for your first marathon, another Gold Medal, or just spectating with intensity, you already know that nothing slows you down faster than an injury.

So What Do You Do:

You could always load up on pain meds or just be content to sit on the sidelines but quitting isn’t an option and pain meds can be dangerous So maybe you try wearing a brace or wrapping it with athletic tape but those are restrictive, uncomfortable and make you look like…yeah…him.

A Better Brace:

Fortunately, there’s an alternative that’s clinically proven, athlete tested, and used by millions of people world-wide. It’s called KT Tape. KT Tape is lightweight, comfortable to wear, and used to treat and prevent hundreds of common injuries such as knee pain, shin splints, and tennis elbow.

And KT Tape not only looks good, it provides 24 hour relief per application for days at a time and can be worn in water. Try that with a brace.

Here’s How It Works:

Let’s say you just finished your favorite workout and now your lower back is killing you. KT Tape provides targeted pain relief by relieving pressure and increasing circulation to help speed recovery.

Or maybe the last time you went jogging you tweaked your knee and now it hurts to run or walk up the stairs. KT Tape provides stability and support for joints by providing an external layer of support around the joint. And it comes ready to apply right out of the box, already precut so you don’t have to worry about…yeah…that kind of stuff.

Just watch the 2-minute instructional video, apply the tape, and you’re ready to play again. GO AHEAD PLAY HARDER.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo:

KT Tape is made up of reinforced 100% cotton sheathes designed to provide durability and increased strength. These cotton sheathes are embedded into weft yarn to provide uni-directional elasticity- allowing the tape to stretch in length but preventing the tape from stretching in width. These fibers ensure KT Tape will provide stable support without restricting motion.
The Matrix is a mechanical mesh weave designed to provide precisely 140% bilinear elasticity along the length of the tape, and no elasticity in the tape’s width. 140% elasticity is critical because it is the same elasticity as human skin. By matching the exact elasticity in skin, and stretching lengthwise, KT Tape flexes and moves comfortably with the body’s tissue, releasing and recoiling like a rubber-band.

KT Tape’s unique Matrix Mesh also allows for moisture release which is critical for comfort and wear-ability. The more porous the tape’s weave, the better it releases moisture caused by sweating or being worn in the water. The design provides more breathability and release of moisture so that it is comfortable to wear for up to five days at a time without itching, irritation or reactions with the skin.

Second-skin Adhesion, Go ahead- beat it up, swim with it, wear it on your feet during sand volleyball, or your 100 mile mud run. When it comes to medical adhesive, stronger is not always better. The key to medical adhesive is stick and release: the adhesive must stay on, no matter how punishing the environment, but release when it’s peeled off without causing pain and bleeding.

Here is how it works, KT Tape is applied along muscles, ligaments, and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, strong, external support that helps to prevent injury and speed recovery. KT Tape works differently for different injuries. KT Tape can lift and support the knee cap, holding it in place for Runner’s Knee. KT Tape can support sagging muscles along the arch of the foot, relieving the connective tissues for Plantar’s Fasciitis. And KT Tape can lift the stress off of shin splints to allow pain release and give the body a better opportunity to recover. Depending on how it is applied, KT Tape supports, enables, or restricts soft tissue and its movement. By stretching and recoiling like a rubber band, KT Tape augments tissue function and distributes loads away from inflamed or damaged muscles and tendons, thereby protecting tissues from further injury.

By applying KT Tape over affected tissue, athletes experience an external support which helps to prevent further injury and allows the body’s damaged tissue to rest and heal naturally despite continued activity. KT Tape also reduces inflammation and increases circulation which prevents muscle cramping and lactic acid buildup.

(image: FIVB)