Becoming more popular over the years, athletic tape can be used in several different ways on your body. Used as an easy way to promote healing after trauma, kinesiology taping has evolved into a performance-enhancing technique. RockTape is known as one of the best kinesiology tapes on the market.
If you’ve suffered through back or knee pain, then you know that taping the muscles can be an effective way of reducing pain and encouraging recovery. Like me, you also probably know that not all tapes are the same with some working better than others.
Creating a wide range of promising strength products, RockTape is one of the best-known kinesiology taping brands. When used properly, it is an effective way to supplement your body during practice.
What is Kinesiotaping?
Kinesiotaping is a rehabilitative tape technique that was created to facilitate your body’s healing process.
It also offers stability and support for your joints and muscles without restricting your body’s range of motion and provides manipulation of your extended soft tissue. Prolonging the benefits of manual therapy, kinesiotaping is a wearable and latex-free taping method that is safe for individuals of all ages.
Successfully treating neurological, neuromuscular, orthopedic, and other medical conditions, this therapeutic taping technique targets different receptors in the somatosensory system to alleviate pain while facilitating lymphatic drainage through microscopically lifting the skin. With this lifting action, the tape will affect forms convolutions in the skin and increase interstitial space while allowing for a reduction in inflammation in the affected areas.
What is Rocktape?
A type of kinesiology tape, this tape is an upscale brand that is used all over the world by health professionals.
Made with an acrylic adhesive, nylon, and cotton, this is a latex-free product that won’t cause an allergic reaction. It is widely accepted that this tape reduces body pain, increases blood circulation, improves how your muscles and joints work, and provides overall support.
Always use this tape after you consult with your physician to make sure you are using it in the most effective way along with your other treatment methods.
RockTape Review
Designed to enhance recovery and performance, this tape is not like typical compression tape and garments. You can use it to decompress and relieve swelling in pain or you can use it to apply compression when promoting recovery. Created to meet the endurance demands of athletes like cyclists, runners, and swimmers, this tape is a hypoallergenic adhesive, which will not fall off when you compete.
Offering the same elasticity that skin has, this tape offers you a full range of motion and has low moisture absorption. Featuring a tighter weave, it allows muscles to easily snap back to neutral. This water-resistant product is available in a wide range of colors and designs.
A great choice to help with runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and back and knee pain, this tape is a high-grade adhesive that uses unique fabrics. It is different than other kinesiology tapes and will stay on longer and flex and move with your skin. Safe for any type of skin, this tape can be used in wet and harsh conditions like swimming and surfing.
This tape is great for anyone that has poor posture, bruising or inflammation, joint pain, or muscle cramping and pain. It is not for use with serious injuries or broken bones.
Pros:
- This tape stays stuck on your skin while keeping its stretch
- It helps to significantly reduce pain and aches
- This is very easy to use tape that is also effective
Cons:
- The beige tape doesn’t last as long as the black tape
- It doesn’t work well in water
How does it work?
Incredibly elastic, this kinesiology tape has the elasticity needed to lift the skin away from the fascia and muscles underneath. Forming wrinkles and convulsions, this tape allows the tissue underneath to decompress, which offers three main results:
Reduction of pain perception
- Improves the glide and slide between the layers of tissue
- The lymphatic and blood flow in the taped area will improve
- It delays muscle fatigue, which is important in rehabilitation
- This tape is beneficial when treating both non-sport and sports injuries, which include plantar fasciitis, runner’s knee, and shin splints as well as back pain.
What does it do?
This product is great for pain reduction and decreasing inflammation while promoting efficient circulation of body fluids and blood. This tape can also provide muscle support and improve posture. It will improve athletic performance, and it can also assist with the body’s healing mechanism.
How do you apply this tape?
You will need help in applying this product since you may have to position yourself in a specific way to apply the tape.
Apply the tape one to two days before you exercise and make sure your skin is dry and clean. Make sure you look for application instructions that are appropriate for your specific type of injury.
When you position the tape, make sure you cut it to the right length and make sure to round the tape’s corners. Tear off the paper at one end and stick the end that is paper-free onto your skin, but doesn’t stretch it. When you adhere to the tape, pull off the paper, and apply the last one to two inches without stretching it before rubbing it down to make sure it has completely adhered.
It can take up to 20 minutes for this tape to completely adhere to your skin. Once you are finished with it, gently peel off an end and remove it.
Features & Benefits
A little stiffer than other cotton tapes, RockTape is a stable tape that has a flexible and soft feeling. It’s supportive while also remaining nonrestrictive and mobile. With the ability to stick between two and seven days, it provides comfortable and light support.
It sticks relatively well, but you need to know how to apply it correctly, especially as it relates to muscle direction. This is a comfortable cotton tape option that won’t irritate your skin like a synthetic tape. The company also offers a ton of educational content on their website including tutorials to show you how to use the product properly.
Applying the tape is pretty straightforward, and the educational content provided will help make it easier for a new tape user. Some of the roles come with precut strips to make application easier. When it’s in a solid roll, you can decide exactly how much you will need since the precut rolls won’t fit everyone’s joints and you often end up with awkward leftover lengths.
After the tape is applied, it provides a nice but resistant feeling that hugs your muscles and is effective at pulling lifting your muscles. Made with hypoallergenic and latex-free material, this tape is great for anyone that has sensitive skin or whose skin gets irritated by synthetic tape. With a wave-like design, the adhesive on this tape was created to stick on and hug your skin to offer better support. This tape is also durable over long periods of time and the adhesive holds up well.
This tape has many features including:
Pain reduction – It can minimize the feeling of pain by disturbing the pain’s neurological pathway
Decreases inflammation – Allowing for efficient circulation of body fluids and blood, this tape will help to remove any congestion. Fluid circulation removes irritants and prevents inflammation.
Offers muscle support and improves posture – Applying proper taping will help you to maintain your posture. The tape will also protect against over-contraction, cramping, and over-extension while allowing for the efficient functioning of weaker muscles.
Athletic performance improvement – This tape supports joints that are unstable while also applying a little pressure on muscles that are sleeping. This allows an athlete to perform better when they become injured.
Assists in the body’s healing mechanism – Supporting the endogenous analgesia system, this tape will assist in the body’s recovery process. When the tape is correctly applied, it’s elasticity will lift the skin gently from the tissues underneath. Then, it creates a space where the overall blood flow is improved. The skin’s gentleness will improve lymphatic and blood flow to ultimately help in reducing swelling alleviating pressure.
Benefits:
- Offers functional support as well as allowing you a full range of movement
- Assists with pain reduction
- Assists with decreasing bruising and swelling
- It is water-resistant and can be worn for as many as five days
- Containing no latex or zinc oxide, this is a hypoallergenic product
User Reviews
After scouring the internet, we have found many positive reviews of this tape. One Rocktape review stated that it works well at alleviating pain and holds up muscles well so that you can function day to day. Most users loved the strong adhesive and the results of the tape, but we did find a RockTape review or two that reported fraying.
Breanna Hogue
on Amazon.com in April 2018
This has brought me some serious relief!
“I’ve been PT for about 3 weeks. My trap muscle and neck are extremely inflamed and tense. I work in the healthcare field and this injury has been very painful.
At every session they use Rock tape & rock sauce to alleviate some of the pain and it has been fantastic! I am extremely sensitive to medication so I’ve had to deal with the pain in more natural ways. The tape helps correct my posture as well. I decided to purchase some for home since I only see the PTA two times a week.
My skin is also very sensitive but this has not caused any rash or irritation for me. It does hold up well in the shower but mine tends to become stretched out after sleeping. I toss and turn so I’m sure the tape rubbing on the sheets causes this.
Honestly this has brought me the most relief out of all of my treatments and I highly recommend it!
“
Adam Apple
on Amazon.com in September 2019
Best Kinesiology Therapeutic Tape Ever!!!
“IDr. recommended KT tape for relative in assisted living facility. Not for sports injury or use, but had to hold well. It had to stay on for extended periods of time. We tried other brands, but nothing performed anywhere near as well as ROCK tape. This tape held continually for over a week at a time. It held up through bathing and all activities. When replaced, no harm to skin whatsoever (rash, bruising, irritation, etc.). I’d give ROCK tape 10 stars if I could!!! “
Carol S.
on Amazon.com in March 2015
one of the best tapes i have found
“frays a bit, especially on cut edges, which has to be done because for my thumb. otherwise a great product. it sticks MUCH better than KT Tape. also, i am allergic to most adhesives, and break out in a rash. i have had no problems with wearing Rocktape for 3 days without removing. i will order this item from amazon instead of using KT, which is the only tape i can find locally. “
Final Thoughts
Offering an effective method of lessening pain, improving circulation, and enhancing recovery, RockTape is a well-known brand of Kinesiotaping that is widely used for both sports and non-sport injuries. Providing functional support, this tape will also allow you to have a full range of movement.
While it assists with pain reduction and decreasing bruising and swelling, this tape also helps to improve blood. This hypoallergenic and water-resistant tape uses an effective design that is used all over the world.