Can KT Tape Aid Your Weight Loss Workout?

September 11, 2022 Ashley 0 Comments

You’ve seen the long strips of multicolored tape on Olympians’ arms and backs.

You may have even seen it on the bodies of your local gym-goers.

Now, we’re seeing Serena Williams wear it not on her traps or triceps.

We’re seeing it on her… face.

And if you’ve never used the stuff yourself, you might be wondering… Why? What’s this stuff even for? And what can it do for your mug? As someone who’s worked in physical therapy for quite some time, KT has come to be one of my favorite modalities. I use it on my patients all the time. Why? Because it has so many great indications. It can help encourage weak muscles to fire. It can help inhibit other ones from being overactive. It can encourage stabilization and improve postural mechanics. Cut and applied a certain way, it can help reduce the senation of pain. And, if you’ve got swelling, there’s even a method where we cut the tape into these octupus looking strips to encourage lymphatic drainage. My patients swear by it. In Serena’s case, the CEO of KT Tape, Greg Venner, conceded that the brand doesn’t suggest using their product on the face (seeing as they haven’t clinically tested it yet for that), but they did give her big ups for her creative use of it. Because of the placing of it, however, experts surmise that she’s likely targeting the maxillary sinus. Seeing as Serena is a long time sufferer of sinusitis, this makes a good deal of sense.

And all of this has excellent carry over for non professional gym rats like ourselves, just trying to keep up on weight loss and wellness goals. Think of how many times you had to skip out on your workout of choice because some discomfort, swelling, or other chronic issues. Now, if you’ve got a legitimate injury, it’s always smart to take a few days off, rest, ice, and all that. However, if you find you’ve got a chronic issue with running due to over pronation, some supportive strapping (in conjunction with the appropriate strengthening, stretching, and mobilizations) can help manage that issue and get you back to the gym. Likewise, if you’ve got a scapular (wingbone) issue that’s causing you to perform upper body strengthening improperly, strapping to encourage the correct muscle groups to fire can definitely help you work through that so that you don’t have too take too many days off from your weight loss hobby of choice.

As always, however, there are caveats. The number one thing I ask my patients before applying KT is whether they have any allergies to adhesive. If they do, we don’t strap. If they’re not sure, I cut a small piece and “test” out a small patch of skin to see if they have a reaction. If they’re doing okay by the end of the session, we go for the full application. If they’re red or itchy? Then we defer it for them and try something else. The other thing to be mindful of is doffing. (That’s just a fancy word for taking something off your body.) When you’re removing KT tape, the rule is that you never rip it off like a Band-Aid. Because of its segmented and stretchy structure (combined with how sticky it is), when you take off one part of KT tape, not only does the rest of it not come off along with it, but it’s clinging on for dear life, so it hurts like hell.

Thinking of trying out KT for your next workout?

Check out their site for your specific issue and see how it can help! They have tons of videos to walk you through everything – from how to cut the tape to where you can apply it, the method for applying it, and with how much stretch – so you can return to your weight loss and wellness journey unscathed and emerge even better than you were before. Just make sure to test a small area of skin for allergies and make sure your area of complaint and specific issue is indicated for KT prior to applying!