Sticky Tape Kinesio Claims to Cut Pain and Boost Performance for Injured Olympians

Kinesio, the neon tape, swathing sprinters and swimmers alike at this year's Olympics is taking London by storm.

"It's all over the Olympics," ABC News quoted Dr. Jennifer Solomon of New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery as saying.

"Athletes love it," she said.

Developed by a Japanese chiropractor, Kinesio claims to cut pain and boost performance, and judging by its prominence at this year's Games, athletes think it works.

"If you ask them, they say it does," Solomon, team physician for the U.S. Tennis Association, said.

"But there's no solid scientific evidence that this tape helps," she said.

Crafted from cotton and medical grade adhesive, Kinesio is more flexible than traditional tape. And when strategically strewn along injured muscles, its gentle tug promotes circulation to help clear out damage, according to its maker.

"No one's claiming this is a cure," Michael Good, international director for the Albuquerque, N.M.-based company, said.

"It's an adjunct therapy," he added.

Source: ANI