3 July 2012 Last updated at 03:23
By Michelle Roberts Health
editor, BBC News online
Mario Balotelli revealed his
stripes (and got a yellow card) when he took off his shirt during Euro
2012
Why are athletes wearing coloured
tape?
In the Euro 2012 Championship, Italian striker Mario Balotelli was sporting
three tramlines of blue sticky tape on his back.
And at Wimbledon, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has had his elbow
patched up with the same stuff.
So what's behind this latest sporting fad?
The Japanese makers of
Kinesio
tape say it gives players an edge by mending injuries.
Sticking plaster?
Although it might seem like a new idea, the tape has been around since the
1970s.
Dr Kenzo Kase says he came up with the design because he found standard
taping techniques, like conventional strapping, too restrictive for his
patients.
Although standard strapping provides muscle and joint
support, it limits movement and, according to Dr Kase, gets in the way of the
healing process by restricting the flow of inflammatory fluids below the
skin.
Kinesio tape is different, he says, because it lifts the skin to assist this
lymphatic flow, which, in turn, reduces pain and swelling.
However, Dr Kase admits there have been to prove these scientific claims.
Dr Kase says people have been using his tape with success for more than 30
years. But he recognises that only solid scientific evidence can silence
critics.
"We have many people researching but the society of Kinesio taping therapy
itself - the International Kinesio Taping Association - is only five years old.
We need more evidence. We do not have research reports. Part of the reason
people are using Kinesio tape is to find the science."
Novak Djokovic has been wearing
the tape during his Wimbledon matches
Another element to consider is the power of persuasion or "placebo effect" -
if you believe something will work then you will see results.
John Brewer, a sports professor at the University of Bedfordshire, said:
"Personally, I think it is more of a placebo effect. There is no firm scientific
data to show that it has an impact on performance or prevents injuries.
"My concern is that there is little that you can put on the skin that will
have a real benefit for the muscles that lie deep beneath.
"The power and stress going through the joints is immense.
"But, saying that, I can't see it would cause any real problem, other than
making you lose a few hairs."
In theory, anything that can lessen the oscillations or vibrations that go
through the muscle when you are doing intense sport will be beneficial, he said.
Phil Newton, a physiotherapist at Lilleshall, one of the
UK's National Sports Centres, said: "It's a multimillion-pound business, yet
there's no evidence for it. There's a whole host of companies making this tape
now.
"A lot of medical practitioners do use it.
"It is different to the various types of tape that physios have been using
for donkey's years to strap sprained ankles and so on.
"This is a relatively new type of tape that is thin and light weight. The
idea behind it is fascial unloading - reducing pressure in the tissue below the
skin."
Dr Newton remains dubious. "Looking at the tensile strength of the tape I
don't see how it could do it unless it is down to stimulating the senses. The
power of placebo is very strong and shouldn't be underestimated."
He predicts the Olympics will be awash with the stuff. "It'll be a show of
multicoloured tape.
"We'll probably see athletes in the Olympics sporting a few union jacks made
out of it," he said.
Dr Kase certainly hopes so.
He said: "Olympians are very top athletes. Top athletes are very different
from regular athletes. They are hypersensitive and they worry. My tape will give
lots of comfort to them. This is not drugs."
