Yesterday I was playing with my 3-year-old and had an interesting thought. We were playing with a roll of decorative tape (one of her favorite things in the world) and her children’s scissors (another one of her favorite things). We were cutting the tape and wrapping on our arms and legs, then she said something interesting that got me thinking. “Daddy my knee hurts (she scraped it a couple days ago) but it’s getting BUTTER (how she says better).” With her bringing up her pains, us playing with tape and me being a PT nerd I automatically thought about Kinesiotape.

I remember when she got her scrape days before and she was freaking out, I kissed it and put a band-aid on it, which immediately made it “butter.” She went from complete lose of bodily control and crying, to instantly wanting to return to playing with a kiss and band-aid.

In my head (as we continue to wrap tape around my toes) I wondered, how similar are the two scenarios: a toddler getting kissed and a band-aid and an adult getting massaged and taped.

I rarely tape my patients unless they ask for it. (There is one scenario where I think it is helpful (link)). To me putting tape on something does nothing for the underlying cause of their symptoms, therefore I don’t offer it, and I am not alone in that (link).

But, and this is a big but. Sometimes it helps people…this gives me a headache. This is why my job is difficult. Sometimes tape is the only thing that makes someone feel better. It is the only thing that lets them lift their arm without pain or finish a workout unhindered. Why does a band-aid and a kiss make my daughter feel better? Placebo maybe, not sure. But it does.

This really gets at the heart of the messiness of clinical practice. It is my responsibility to offer my patients the most up-to-date and evidence-based care, which I try to do. This does not include tape, unless it does… We healthcare providers (that give a rip) have to wiggle sometimes. We have to listen to our clients, know the evidence and do things that don’t make sense sometimes (to a certain extent). If you find yourself disagreeing with me, first comment, I’d love to talk about it, then ask yourself this. Would you not give a 3 year old a kiss and a band-aid because “the evidence is not there…” or would you listen to her/him and do it lovingly. Just a thought. Let me hear yours.