This study’s objective was to test whether certain applications of Kinesio tapes might facilitate contraction and increase muscle strength in healthy adults. A total of 19 studies, comprising data of 530 subjects and 48 pairwise comparisons of muscle strength were included. The methodological quality of these studies ranged from moderate to good. While substantial variability of individual effect sizes was observed, the overall population effect (r=0.05, CI: -0.23 to 0.34) indicates that, on average, the potential to increase strength by application of Kinesio tapes is negligible. Comparisons between studies grouped by the muscle groups examined revealed that the effects of Kinesio tapes are not muscle-group dependent.
While the application of Kinesio tapes may have some therapeutic benefits, the usage of these tapes does not promote strength increases in healthy adults.