Infrared Kinesiology Tape Increases Skin Temperature and Red Blood Cell Flux at Rest.
Max Jordon, Chan Aung, Evan Elgart and 5 others
The infrared tape raised skin temperature and blood flow on the taped side of the lower back compared to the untaped side.
But without a plain-tape control, you can't tell if the infrared coating did anything beyond simply covering the skin.
Key findings
1The taped side showed significantly greater skin temperature and red blood cell flux than the untaped side at each follow-up time point, with the difference persisting after the tape was removed.
2The study could not determine whether the infrared coating specifically caused the temperature and blood flow changes, because no plain kinesiology tape was used as a comparison.
3The tape manufacturer provided the product and sponsored the study, though it had no role in design, analysis, or publication decisions.
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What it does not show
No plain (non-infrared) kinesiology tape was used as a control, so the specific contribution of the infrared coating cannot be separated from the general effect of applying any adhesive tape to the skin. All participants were young, healthy adults with no pain or circulation problems; the findings cannot be extended to patients with impaired blood flow, chronic pain, or older age. Investigators were not blinded because the tape was visible, which the authors acknowledge could introduce measurement bias. The tape was provided by and the study was sponsored by the manufacturer, so independent replication is needed. Single-site study with 25 participants; the authors themselves call for replication by investigators without industry sponsorship. Hydration status and time of day were not independently controlled, though the authors argue the within-subject design minimises this concern.
Declared interests
TruePower, the manufacturer of ThriveTape, provided the tape and sponsored the project. The authors state the company had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the decision to publish.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →