# Mueller kinesiology tape. Does it really work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380 "2012-01-04T15:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![illegitimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/919ad9/32.png) [@illegitimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illegitimus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380/1 "2012-01-04T15:04:17Z")
Hi, like the title states. Any testimonials to prove its positive qualities? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380/2 "2012-01-04T15:14:18Z")
[Nope…all BS.](http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/ak.html) I’m sure you can find testimonials on it…Hell, you can find testimonials on people saying they talk to the dead, were abducted by aliens, and are the reincarnation of Jesus…doesn’t make it true, though. Actual scientific studies have found it to be quite fake. Edit: In more looking, I see this is a quetion about specific product, this: [http://www.muellersportsmed.com/tape.htm](http://www.muellersportsmed.com/tape.htm) Well…I suppose it could be, at best, the same as regular “sports tape” or an ACE wrap, but there’s nothing about it that makes it any better, since kinesiology is all bunk. ---
**Author:** ![illegitimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/919ad9/32.png) [@illegitimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illegitimus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380/3 "2012-01-04T15:31:27Z")
The specific statement that intrigued me was, _ **Designed to help increase the natural blood flow around the muscle…** _ So, I was hoping to hear any confirmation of this from those who actually used the tape and _ **felt** _ the effects, maybe? Pardon my inaccurate use of the term, testimonials. You are right, bouv, we hear all sort of bogus testimonials around about all sorts of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380/4 "2012-01-05T15:35:51Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Well…I suppose it could be, at best, the same as regular “sports tape” or an ACE wrap, but there’s nothing about it that makes it any better, since kinesiology is all bunk. You seem to be confusing [kinesiology](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesiology) aka human kinetics (the study of human movement) and [applied kinesiology](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiology), an alternative medicine used by chiropractors that attempts to correlate muscle movement with unrelated maladies such as allergies. Your assessment of the former as bunk is incorrect, but the latter has been debunked and is not accepted as valid by professional chiropractic associations. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380/5 "2012-01-05T15:52:15Z")
> [@illegitimus](#): > > The specific statement that intrigued me was, _ **Designed to help increase the natural blood flow around the muscle…** _ So, I was hoping to hear any confirmation of this from those who actually used the tape and _ **felt** _ the effects, maybe? > > Pardon my inaccurate use of the term, testimonials. You are right, bouv, we hear all sort of bogus testimonials around about all sorts of stuff. IANAD, my lay understanding is one of the things that therapeutic taping is supposed accomplish is to create compressive forces on the muscle in order to better oxygenate it. There are [few studies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastic_therapeutic_tape) that support positive effects of KT tape, but it’s a relatively young therapy. I would think compression clothing and sleeves offer the same (or better) results without the fuss, and compression is already used clinically to enhance blood flow (i.e., prevention of venal thrombosis). ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mueller-kinesiology-tape-does-it-really-work/608380/6 "2012-01-05T16:09:35Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > IANAD, my lay understanding is one of the things that therapeutic taping is supposed accomplish is to create compressive forces on the muscle in order to better oxygenate it. There are [few studies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastic_therapeutic_tape) that support positive effects of KT tape, but it’s a relatively young therapy. > > I would think compression clothing and sleeves offer the same (or better) results without the fuss, and compression is already used clinically to enhance blood flow (i.e., prevention of venal thrombosis). Alright, according to their website, [Mueller tape](http://www.muellersportsmed.com/KinesiologyTaping/Ktape.html) is supposed to: > [@](#): > > …lift the skin to help maintain flexibility, improve circulation, and relieve pain. By microscopically lifting the skin from the muscle and improving circulation, pressure and irritation are decreased to help alleviate pain. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there is no scientific evidence demonstrating this claim or its effectiveness.