I recently asked two questions in an online survey. Very simple questions.
- What is your favorite tape for pre-taping for blister prevention?
- What is your favorite tape for blister patching?
There were 57 responses.
Let’s start with the first question. What is your favorite tape for pre-taping for blister prevention?
The tapes ranked highest were, Leukotape P and KT Tape kinesiology tape both at 19.3%. However if you add all the kinesiology tapes mentioned, it’s a different outcome. With KT Tape at 19.3%, RockTape at 12.3% Strengthtape at 7%, and Kinesio Tex at 3.5%, the total of all kinesiology tapes is 42.1%. With those numbers, more than twice as many are using kinesiology tapes at 42.1% versus Leukotape at 19.3%. Worth noting is the mix of HypaFix, Coverall, and Fixomull came In at 14%. These three are basically the same kind of tape, which is great for toes. Micropore paper tape came is at 7%. Surprisingly, duct tape came in at 7%.
Now let’s look at what some people said under the “other” choice, which came in at 21.1%. What I was looking for was other types of tape. Unfortunately, some of the answers were things like, Trail Toes; none, I stopped taping five years ago; and I don’t get blisters. Also in the other column was one person who said surgical paper tape, which is the same as Micropore; and two that mentioned Elastikon, which is hard to find and has fallen out of favor with most runners.
The second question was what is your favorite tape for blister patching?
Here the tapes ranked highest were Leukotape by a large margin at 29.8%. But again, add up all the kinesiology tapes with KT Tape at 19.3%, RockTape at 12.3% Strengthtape at 7%, and Kinesio Tex at 3.5%, the total of all kinesiology tapes is 42.1%. So again, kinesiology tape scored highest, but by a narrower margin.
In the “other” choice, 21.1% were a variety of answers. Two again mentioned Elastikon, Trail Toes was again mentioned, and several said they don’t blister or don’t know how to tape, along with a few other mixes of answers. Some of the other comments were that runners used a mix of two tapes, or moleskin and one of the tapes.
So, was did I learn from this?
Kinesiology tape is popular but Leukotape P is a strong second. Leukotape is known for its aggressive stickiness, which is great for adverse conditions. It’s inexpensive and easy to apply, although it does not conform to the shape of one’s feet. It also leaves tape residue on the skin when worn for long periods like 24 hour and multi-day races, which makes good foot care hard to do. I will always keep a roll of Leukotape around for times I think it’d be the best tape.
Kinesiology tape is easy on the skin, and when applied correctly, will stick for long periods. When used with a tape adherent, it will stick for days. It conforms to any shape of your feet and it breathes well. The trick with any of the kinesiology tapes is to prepare the skin with an alcohol wipe, use a tape adherent, apply the tape with little to no stretch, and then rub the tape with the paper backing for 20 seconds to warm the adhesive to help the tape stick. It’s best to tape before it’s needed, like the night before if possible, or a few hours before.
I like it the large percentage of people who use either Micropore paper tape of one of the HypaFix, Coverall, or Fixomull tapes. These tape are easy to use and quick to put on. They are thin and don’t require any special cutting to work. They are great for toes, as I mentioned earlier, but also work well for a quick covering for a hot spot or to hold a blister patch against the skin. Of the two types of tape, I prefer one of the HypaFix, Coverall, or Fixomull tapes because they are wider than most commonly carried paper tapes, which means often one piece will do.
And of course with any taping on your feet, make sure to bunch up and roll your socks on and off. This keep the socks from pulling on the tape. When cutting the tape, round any corners—square corners start to peel off fast when putting socks on and off.
Some of you might ask, what I carry in my foot care kit. It’s easy, several types of kinesiology tapes in two and three or four inch rolls, a roll of Leukotape, and a roll of HypaFix.
If you want to check out kinesiology tapes, here’s my favorite source: TheraTape.com.
