Do you remember Germany versus Italy in the semi-finals of the European Championship 2012? The 2:0 by Italian striker Mario Balotelli? And how he ripped the jersey off his body and showed his maximum tense muscles in the pose of an old warrior statue?

The audience saw not only muscles, but also turquoise stripes running all over his back. These are so-called kinesio bands. Strips of finely woven cotton, covered with a thin film of acrylic glue and attached to the muscles like a second skin. They are breathable, highly elastic and skin-friendly.

Healing should proceed faster

Countless athletes and therapists rely on the Kinesio tapes. Knee, ankle and shoulder joints are treated, as well as tense back and neck areas, tennis and golf arms. Even if you suffer from tendosynovitis or a torn muscle fibre, healing should proceed faster thanks to kinesio tapes.

Kinesio tapes were invented in 1979 by the Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase. His idea: The pain sensors are located between the epidermis and dermis, i.e. the two upper skin layers. If the first skin layer is lifted, the blood flows faster into the injured region. And better blood circulation means faster healing.

Positive experiences

There are thousands of reports of positive experiences, but not many scientific studies. New Zealand researchers found very little scientific evidence in an overview study. According to the researchers, the data show that other forms of taping in physiotherapy are as good as kinesio taping.

Tapes have a positive effect on various diseases and injuries. In addition to elastic kinesio bands, rigid bands are also used in physiotherapy. They protect, support and restrict mobility. After injuries, the rigid ligament helps to stabilize the joint. Problems such as tension can be avoided precisely because the tape makes certain movements impossible.