Does athletic tape really work? Here's what experts say

Health newsDoes athletic tape really help?Kinesiology tape, worn by athletes like Serena Williams, Olympians and the rest of us, may have more of a placebo effect than a performance benefit, new research finds.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00The tape can increase the amount of “sensory feedback” in the body, which can help people feel physically supported, experts say.Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 4, 2026, 8:00 AM EDTBy Kaan OzcanThe benefits of kinesiology tape, the colorful tape stretched across the limbs of seemingly every athlete these days, may be more in the mind than in the muscles.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.In a new, large analysis, published Tuesday in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, Chinese researchers reviewed more than 100 studies involving 15,812 participants who used kinesiology tape therapy for musculoskeletal disorders, including arthritis, osteoporosis and back and neck pain.Kinesiology tape, also called KT tape, is a flexible, adhesive cotton tape frequently seen attached to athletes’ joints, limbs or major muscle areas. It’s promoted as a treatment for and protection against sports injuries, to stabilize joints and manage pain. Tennis champion Serena Williams has worn it on her cheek and Olympic athletes, especially women's volleyball players, use it all over. The new study concluded that the tape may provide immediate and short-term relief for pain and may improve the function of the limbs, but the evidence is “very uncertain” and the general effects of kinesiology tape are inconsistent.The researchers, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, did note that KT may “improve subjective outcomes” that may positively affect a patient’s performance. That finding “should not be overlooked,” the researchers wrote. In other words, what’s likely really happening is a positive placebo effect, the scientists suggested.It’s not exactly clear how...