KT Tape, Original Cotton, Elastic Kinesiology Athletic Tape, 20 Count, 10” Precut Strips

I like KT brand the best.

I normally dont write reviews on items I bought online. But in this case, I have to let all the competitive recreational and semi-pro athletes know...if you suffer from any kind of acute or chronic muscular, tendon or other orthopedic injuries, you need to try this tape. Im a competitive triathlete, and about 9 months ago after an olympic distance triathlon, both of my achilles tendons and the retrocalcaneal bursa got badly inflamed. Since then, I tried everything to get rid off the inflammation...short-term rest, ice therapy, I lifted the heels with insoles, changed the shoes, elastic bandages, local and systemic NSAIDs, physical therapy, regular taping, and finally I ended up with sleeping in these bulky night splints (which was btw the worst experience I have ever made). But nothing worked. The pain after every workout and in the morning was excruciating, my heels were red and swollen all the time. Of course, the orthopedist to take off of exercising for 6-9 months, but he couldnt guarantee that it would be gone by then nor if it could come back. Well, I couldnt rest for 9 month, no way:-) SO I have almost given it up and just ignored the pain and the swelling, when a friend of mine gave me a product sample of the KT tape that she got at one of these races. And of course, as desperated as I was, I used the tape right after I watched on youtube how to apply the tape for achilles tendon problems. And the result was stunning. Right after the first few days, the swelling decreased, the pain was less severe and I could stop taking NSAIDs. This tape provided a supportive feeling at each workout. I was so impressed, I couldnt believe it after all these months of suffering. The tape sticks as described for 3-4 days even with tough workouts every day, when you handle it gently. It survives daily sweating and short hot showers. Even if it looks a little loose after the shower, it will stick tightly after it is dry. I also keep the tape on on my rest days, because it just supports the entire mechanics of my heels while walking around. Im using the KT tape now for 3 months, and my symptoms are almost gone. Only after very tough workouts, I can feel some pain. However they returned after I have forgotten to tape one time. So finally, I cannot live without the KT tape anymore :-)

Great quality

Sure, there are differences in different brands of KT tape, but I think were to the point where the range of differences is shrinking all of the time. For me, I care about the adhesive, the support level, and the price - though not necessarily in that order. Actually, I also care about pre-cut strips... Im not the guy that needs to tape up an entire shoulder, so the pre-cut strips save me a ton of time and hassle. Aside from that, the support level from this KT tape is about the same as the other brands Ive used. As youd expect, you can fine tune the level with the preload tension on the tape when you apply it. The material is breathable, and the adhesive works even when saturated with sweat. I generally dont wear the tape for more than a couple hours, and have noticed that the edges roll up a little in that time. Its not enough to affect the performance of the product, but it might get worse the longer you wear it, so thats something to keep in mind. Id say that the adhesive performance is slightly below average for the KT tape products Ive used. Finally, this product is inexpensive enough that I dont have to worry about the fact that this is basically a maintenance cost associated with my workouts going forward. If you work out within the time envelope that I do, I can recommend this product. However, I dont know how it will perform if you have to wear it for 3+ hours, so YMMV.

The tape definitely helped with the pain of my carpal tunnel but caused blisters and rashes all over my wrist.

I don’t know what it is about this color of tape but it irritates my daughter’s skin when used with adhesive spray. The same tape in nude color and used with the spray is just fine. Maybe it is the dye? Otherwise, the brand is fine and it works fine just be aware of the colored.

Ive been using this tape over the past couple years on my tennis elbows. I went through 4 boxes with varying results. A year ago I would have given it an average 3 star rating but now Ive figured out how to make it work the best, I think it totally deserves 5 stars when used properly. First of all, when the tape is on, it is really effective. I feel a lot of support on my elbow as long as the tape is on. It did take me a while to figure out how to make it stay longer. If the tape has been produced a while ago or box has been opened for a while, then the glue may lose power. Obviously. My leftover box from last years injury didnt work quite well this year. The tapes would start to peel off shortly after I put them on, even though I wiped my arm with rubbing alcohol. Also, even though I didnt use my first two boxes last year with rubbing alcohol, I felt that they were somehow old even when newly purchased. The glue just seemed thinner and not as shiny as the boxes I have right now. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell if you have an old box until you open it. For the best results, definitely clean with soap first, then wipe the area with rubbing alcohol before applying the tapes. (Last year I only used soap to clean my arm and the tape will stay for no more than 12 hours.) And absolutely avoid touching the glue with your fingers. As soon as the tape is on your skin, press on and rub it quickly to generate heat around the area so the heat will activate the glue ingredient to work better. My current box will stick for about 3 days, hardly affected by sweating. Even though some edges will peel very slightly, it doesnt progress further and will hold the support very firmly even after multiple showers. Normally I peel it off myself before the tape falls off because I want to avoid skin sensitivity from frequently and prolonged application and excessive usage of the surrounding muscles supporting the pain spot. Depending on where you use it, picking the uncut roll may be better so you can cut it to a longer length. I just find the pre-cut roll more convenient because of the way I use it, especially because they come with round corners. Whether you buy the pre-cut or continuous roll, you should always cut the corners so that all corners are round. It greatly prevents peeling. [Updated in July 2014] Im returning the rating back to 3 stars because of too frequent occurrences of the failed glue and the skin irritation from the glue+rubbing alcohol. At this point Ive completely switched to Kinesio Tex Gold tape. The Kinesio tape is thinner (fabric+glue), breathes better, water resistant, and can stay on skin for as long as 5 days. The KT tape is thicker, when stretched with the same degree as Kinesio tape, will peel in less than 20 minutes. However, I still want to stress that if you can keep it on, it is still extremely effective. The problem is that its hard to keep it on. It also gives me a lot of skin irritation after more frequent re-applying within, say the same week. If I use Kinesio, I only need to put it on once and it lasts for days. If I use KT Tape, it will peel off and I need re-use rubbing alcohol and re-apply the tape the next time I exercise, subsequently causing a lot more skin irritation. KT Tape is only a little cheaper than Kinesio, with a lot more re-application and failure to stay, I actually run out a lot faster than Kinesio tape. At this point it ceased to become an effective option for me.

It helps well to support my knees and recover from the overuse injury.

I use it to prod text tattoo from the sun. Works well

Like magic, my miserable pain relief is reduced significantly. The tape provides comforting support. I have tried ointments, braces, pillows, and even other tapes, but this brand works miracles. The other brand left adhesive residue. This one doesn’t and it stays on longer. Are must be clean with no lotion or oils. Use alcohol and allow to dry. Try to get help applying. I apply my own but it would be even better if I had help. I even use it for immediate lower back pain relief. I have 3 bulging disks and arthritis there. I don’t have to take pain medication anymore. I swear by this product!!!