The scientific community is, shall we say, undecided on the efficacy of kinesio tape. Here’s an NIH study whose conclusion could be charitably described as “I dunno, guys… maybe?” at best.
Under normal circumstances I stand with science. Vax me up, baby! Wear a mask if you’re sick! Homeopathic medicine? No thanks! Yet in this case, if loving kinesio tape is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
I BELIEVE IN KINESIO TAPE
I remember when I ran the Baltimore Marathon. I’d been experiencing IT band trouble for a couple weeks. Resting it just wasn’t helping. I had the guy at the expo KT Tape booth tape it, I ran the marathon, and bam – problem solved. My IT band felt great!
Now of course that’s a single anecdote. Everyone’s body is different and results may vary. And sure, one must always concede the existence of the placebo effect. But that doesn’t change the fact that when I have a minor muscular ache or pain, slapping on some kinesio tape historically helps me. And since it’s not hard to get, it’s not super expensive, and it’s not difficult to apply properly (plenty of tutorials out there!), I’d encourage anyone kinesio-curious to give it a shot.
Especially since kinesio tape manufacturers are always coming out with new products to deal with specific issues. Now, are they just doing this to trick us into spending more money with them? We can never discount this possibility. However, we also can’t be sure until we’ve tried it.
Which leads us to…
WHAT IS KT TAPE PRO ICE?
KT Tape Pro Ice is a new product that combines regular KT Tape Pro kinesio tape with the healing powers of menthol. Think Icy Hot, Tiger Balm, etc. Here’s KT Tape’s explanatory video:
Per this same page on their site: “Cooling menthol delivers fast-acting, penetrating pain relief for sore muscles & joints.” Curiously, that same page has instructions that do NOT say anything about applying the tape an hour before your activity, while the video above does. It does say that the Ice variant of KT Tape Pro should be just as durable and adherent as regular KT Tape Pro.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH KT TAPE PRO ICE
As luck (“luck”) would have it, I’ve been experiencing some IT band irritation by my hip, so I decided to give KT Tape Pro Ice a shot. At the time of this writing I’ve used it six times, including during a race, and I feel confident I can provide an accurate impression.
A note about application time: as noted above, the video suggests you should apply the tape an hour in advance of your activity. On the other hand, the written instructions make no mention of this.
In most cases I was applying my tape 20-30 minutes before my run, but on the day of the half marathon I put my tape on about two hours before race start. I did personally find there to be a noticeable difference in performance, but you may wish to keep this in mind.
Another interesting instruction: the packaging says that KT Pro Ice must be continually stored in the heavy-duty plastic bag it arrives in. They don’t specify if any ol’ ziplocked plastic bag will do or it must be that specific one. This is presumably to preserve the menthol element.
At one point I did cut a strip and store half in the bag with the remaining roll. There wasn’t a degradation of performance as far as I could tell, so I guess you could pre-cut and re-store in the bag if you were so inclined. I generally cut my tape as I went.
HOW ICY IS IT?
I’d imagine your first question is how intense is the menthol? This has got to be a tricky rope to walk, as everyone’s tolerance is different. You certainly don’t want to feel like your skin is on fire. On the other hand, the menthol is the whole point of buying Ice, so you also want it to be strong enough to soothe your pains.
The skin on my body (as separate from the skin on my face, which is a completely different story) is not generally particularly reactive. I feel comfortable representing a fairly neutral canvas upon which Ice could work its magic.
As such, I would describe the ice/heat sensation Ice delivers to be just enough to be noticeable… and no more. Unsurprisingly, it’s a lot like a light layer of Icy Hot applied to dry skin. I could definitely tell the difference between the mentholated and unmentholated tape I was wearing. It quickly faded into the background, but if I focused on the sensation, I could tell it was there. The feeling lasted as long as I kept the tape on, albeit with more of a whisper than a roar.
I remembered my experiment again in my post-run shower, where the heat of the water and subsequent opening of my pores conspired to create a renewed tingle – but again, in more of a “Oh, hmmm,” kinda way, not a “YIKES!!”
Whether or not this is a good thing depends on your personal sensitivities as well as the severity of the soreness or injury you were hoping to soothe. If you were hoping for the chemical equivalent of strapping on an ice pack, I’m afraid this ain’t it. That being the case, though… are you sure you should be running, man?
HOW KINESEO TAPE-Y IS IT?
I have mixed results when it comes to the adherence rate of KT Tape. Admittedly, living in Puerto Rico does mean I’m regularly testing my kinesio tape in difficult – read hot and humid – conditions. In this particular instance, though, I tried it in both PR and NC with similar results.
As noted above, KT Pro Ice is purported to stick just as well as non-Ice. I disagree. I found Ice to peel off much more quickly than I would’ve hoped – although I had a similar experience with Extreme, so maybe there’s something about my skin. When I applied the tape where my running clothes completely covered the area, such as my hip, the tape stayed very well.
I will say the tape itself feels normal – regular amount of stretch, torque, etc. compared to normal KT Tape Pro.
Peeling off the tape can be a bit of an ordeal. Obviously Ice has that extra layer of menthol in addition to regular glue. You can see little spots where the menthol stuck to your skin if you look at the back of the tape after you remove it. This was usually minimal, but on at least one occasion a huge swath of glue came off on my knee. I was able to rub it off with a bit of effort.
In particular, I notice – as observed in the photos above – that Ice does not stick particularly well to itself. Enter the hack!
THE HACK: KINESIO TAPE MIXING
I’ve assembled a minor hack if you want to improve your odds of adhesion and potentially save some minor: kinesio tape mixing.
It’s simple both in concept and in practice. In fact, you probably already know what I’m about to say, but I’ll say it anyway!
What you’ll want to do is supplement your KT Tape Pro Ice with another, non-menthol roll. This could be regular KT Tape Pro, cotton KT Tape, or my personal favorite, a cheap dupe like OK Tape. Use the Ice on the bottom layers of a given tape formation, then top with non-Ice.
In this fashion, you ensure that the areas with the greatest skin-to-tape contact are getting all that sweet sweet menthol. At the same time, the non-Ice creates a barrier – and if you’re using OK Tape* or a similar dupe, it’s a much cheaper barrier. The top might peel a bit, but the bottom will generally stay pretty well. Plus, you’re conserving your new pain-fighting resource!
SHOULD YOU TRY KT TAPE PRO ICE?
If you’re intrigued by the promises of KT Tape Pro Ice, I say go for it! The price is comparable to regular KT Tape Pro, and while the menthol is not intense it’s definitely present.
Keep in mind, though, it’s not a miracle product nor any kind of cure. Don’t expect to use it as a substitute for rest, strength training, etc. if that’s what you need – but as a supplement, it provides a little boost.
As of this writing, I don’t know of any Ice dupes – yet who knows what the future holds?
You can find KT Tape products on their website. Get KT Tape Pro Ice on Amazon here,* KT Tape Pro here,* and OK Tape in a small roll here* and a big roll here.*
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I have no business telling you what to do with your body. This is review is subject only to my personal experience and should not be considered medical advice. Check with your doctor before doing anything, ever!
* Affiliate link. No pressure! If you do use my links I really appreciate it as the money goes toward my domain name and blog hosting costs. 
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
Hmm, I might give it a try! I’m a fan of tiger balm patches. I’ve had trouble with KT tape staying on (even the pro) so we’ll see.
Tiger Balm makes patches?! Much to explore!