The History of Kinesiology Tape

Kinesio, K-Active, SpiderTech & the others...

So you may think that kinesiology tape is a fairly new addition to the sports medical environment but it has been around for more than 35 years.

Created by Dr. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese chiropractor in the 1970’s, Dr. Kase had been searching for a sports taping method to help heal muscle and tissue damage and realised that none of the standard tapes available at the time worked in the way he wanted. Whilst they provided muscle and joint support, they didn’t allow for any range of motion to the joint which in turn impeded the healing process.

Crucial to the development of Dr.Kase’s kinesiology taping technique was the close relationship between the skin and muscles within the body.  In 1973, he teamed up with well-known Japanese company Nitto Denko to develop Kinesio Tape, and the Kinesio Taping method. 

The main difference that Kinesio Tape offered was the ability to help the lymphatic and muscle systems heal and regenerate, whilst offering support to the affected muscle and joint.

Kinesio Tape was viewed as a major breakthrough in aiding injury recovery time and enhancing performance. However, in late December 2010, the Kinesio organisation stopped using the original manufacturer Nitto Denko and moved to a new supplier outside of Japan.

Soon after K-Active & SpiderTech took over the exclusive rights to distribute Nitto Denko’s kinesiology tape.

Kinesio Tape vs Kinesiology Tape

Many people now refer to kinesiology tape simply as "kinesio tape" for two reasons, firstly they were the inventors of the product and secondly because we love to shorten names of products.  However as noted above Kinesio Tape is actually a brand name rather than a product name. Much like calling a vacuum cleaner a hoover.