Taped Together and Still Dancing: The Real Magic Behind Kinesiology Tape

You know you’ve lived a wild life when your brother—a paramedic, no less—won’t hand you a razor blade because you look like a walking mummy wrapped in RockTape.

True story. But let me back up.

I was the kind of teenager who thought gravity was optional and pain was negotiable.

I’ve swan-dived off cliffs, snowboarded off ledges with no landing strategy,

and once saved my own life by grabbing poison oak as I slid off a mountainside.

(Yes, poison oak. I have a deep respect for that plant and don’t react to it.)

Fast-forward a few decades,

and I now pay rent to my past self—in microtears of muscle and ligament,

noticed by pain in areas.

Enter kinesiology tape, the unsung hero of my 50s,

and the reason I’m still moving, still working, and still occasionally dancing

(though these days it's less mosh pit, more Pilates and shoulder stability taping).

What Is Kinesiology Tape, Really?

Let’s demystify this colorful miracle.

So, what is kinesiology tape used for?

It’s not just a gym bro flex or a weekend warrior badge of honor.

The purpose of kinesiology tape is to act like a surrogate muscle or ligament—

giving your body just enough external support so the real structure

underneath can finally take a breather and heal.

It's like giving your overworked joints a much-needed nap while still letting you function.

It moves with you, sticks for days, and doesn’t make you smell like menthol or BenGay.

You can even shower with kinesiology tape on—yes, really—

and it’ll still cling to you like a loyal golden retriever.

You can run errands, hike mountains, or wrangle toddlers with it on.

It’s better than any brace—and way less obnoxious.

How Does Kinesiology Tape Work for Pain?

When a muscle is torn or partially shredded

(yes, that’s a thing—more on that surgeon story in a minute), it can’t do its job.

That means other muscles pick up the slack, and chaos ensues.

Kinetic tape gives your body fake ligaments and pretend muscles

so the busted parts underneath can actually recover.

That’s the how behind how kinesiology taping works for pain.

It also gently lifts the skin, creating space to improve blood and lymph flow.

That’s why therapeutic taping is used not just for support,

but also to reduce inflammation and pain.

(Yes, there’s science. I linked it below so you can geek out like I do.)

The Time a Surgeon Got Schooled on a Hiking Trail

Picture this:

I’m taped from shoulder to ankle on a Sierra Club hike—

knee, SI joint, ankles, shoulders, hips, all patched up.

My friend is taped too.

A surgeon spots us, smirks, and asks why we’re wearing tape

“if nothing’s fully torn.”

I say, “Well, actually, partial tears exist. And they hurt like hell.”

He doesn’t believe me.

Says partial ligament tears aren’t real.

I argue—because I am a walking encyclopedia of partial tears.

I’ve had more than 60. (Yes, I stopped counting at 60. Wouldn’t you?)

And you know what? He refused to listen.

Wouldn’t believe someone who could palpate a torn ligament

better than his $3,000 MRI machine.

That’s Western medicine for you—if it’s not on the scan, it doesn’t exist.

Meanwhile, my knees are held together by German tape and sheer willpower.

That’s the real kinesiology taping benefit—

when even the skeptics can't deny your stability.

The Real Benefits of Taping (Especially If You’re a Bendy Human)

Taping for pain isn’t just for elite athletes or aging punks with cliff-jumping regrets.

It’s a game-changer for folks with chronic injuries, past trauma, and even those with connective tissue conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). For EDS folks,

it can feel like someone finally handed you the ligaments you never had.

Kinesiology tape benefits include:

• Support without stiffness

• Pain relief without drugs

• Natural alignment without braces

• Confidence that your joint won’t betray you mid-grocery store squat

Got neck pain? There’s kinesiology tape for neck pain.

Wrangling back pain?

KT tape for back pain or tape for back pain might just

save you from another prescription or pity party.

Even kinesiology tape for foot pain is a thing—and yes,

I’ve used it on every part of the body short of the tongue.

How Do You Know If You’ve Got an Old Tear?

Clients ask me this all the time.

“What does a muscle tear feel like?”

It varies. Sometimes it’s sharp, sometimes it shoots pain away from the area,

and other times it’s oddly tingly.

Sometimes it’s sneaky and shows up years later when

you move a certain way or re-injure it.

Pro tip:

If you run your fingers lightly across the muscle and feel a dent—

like a pothole under your skin—that’s scar tissue from an old tear.

Ligaments? You’ll feel wobble, not dent.

That’s the job of the ligament: to hold you together.

If it’s slacking, you’ll feel the instability.

And yes, I can find these suckers like a truffle pig.

It’s a skill I earned the hard way.

My Top 4 Healing Essentials (aka, How I’m Still Walking)

Kinesiology taping – Applied like a pro.

Because I am one.

(And yes, I know how to put on kinesiology tape in my sleep.

I even teach others how to apply kinesiology tape to the shoulder, knees,

and all the places you didn’t know could be taped.)

1. Red & Infrared LED Therapy – Because light heals.

2. Targeted Strength Training – Rehab isn’t sexy, but it works.

3. Fresh Green Juice – Because ligaments don’t regenerate on caffeine and despair.

   
   

Want to Get Taped Like a Pro?

If you’re local and dealing with mystery pains,

old injuries, or ligament wobbles that no doctor believes, come see me.

I love helping people feel held—literally and energetically.

With tape, of course.

I also have a ton of applying kinesiology tape tutorials on my website.

KT taping isn’t just band-aid therapy.

It’s healing in motion.

It’s the bridge between dysfunction and regeneration.

And sometimes,

it’s the only thing standing between you and another damn MRI.

Did this help you? Feel free to share it or link to it—spreading healing is how we rise together.

Rolled Up and Ready: Evidence That’s as Tight as Your Hamstrings

Chan, O., Del Buono, A., Best, T. M., & Maffulli, N. (2012). Acute muscle strain injuries: A proposed new classification system. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 20(11), 2356–2362.

Summary: This study proposes a new MRI- and ultrasound-based classification for muscle strain injuries. The system offers more precision in defining injury characteristics, which helps guide both clinical decision-making and rehabilitation planning.

Butler, D. L., Juncosa, N., & Dressler, M. R. (2004). Functional efficacy of tendon repair processes. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 427(Suppl), S234–S243.

Summary: A deep dive into tendon biology, this review discusses the interplay of mechanical forces and cellular healing in tendon repair. It emphasizes that successful recovery requires understanding the microarchitecture of healing tissues—not just applying support or stretching.

Wu, W. T., Hong, C. Z., & Chou, L. W. (2015). The Kinesio Taping Method for Myofascial Pain Control: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015, Article ID 950519.

Summary: This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping (KT) in reducing myofascial pain. It suggests that KT improves local circulation and lymph flow, which may reduce inflammation and relieve pain in soft tissues. While results are mixed, KT shows promise as a low-risk intervention in pain management.