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LINDON — The World Cup attracts spectators from around the globe, and that's good news for a Utah County company right in the middle of the action.
On the soccer fields in Brazil, players battle their opponents, the heat and nagging injuries. To deal with the aches and pains, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team turned to KT Tape.
"People can be very active, performing at very high levels while still getting the support they need," said John McKay, president of Lumos Inc., creator of KT Tape.
The Lindon-based company is the official kinesiology therapeutic tape supplier of the U.S. Soccer Federation through 2016. Soccer players Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey use the product, and other teams have discovered it too.
"It's a very exciting time," McKay said. "The World Cup is just such a dynamic event, and so much fun. It's amazing the coverage we have."
McKay said tape works best on soft tissue injuries: sprains, strains, tendinitis and other sports and work injuries that result from overuse of a part of the body.
Athletes are always dealing with that. They don't want to take the time off to rest like they should to recover, so the tape is helpful to keep them active and doing what they enjoy doing.
–John McKay, Lumos, Inc.
"Athletes are always dealing with that," he said. "They don't want to take the time off to rest like they should to recover, so the tape is helpful to keep them active and doing what they enjoy doing."
The tape comes in precut, 10-inch strips. It stretches lengthwise but not widthwise, and that stretch in the tape cues the muscles into action, McKay explained.
"Just that subtle cuing is enough to remind the muscle to wake up and fire more strongly," McKay said.
The KT Tape knee wrap is popular among runners, who "put it right over the patella tendon, which is the soft spot right below the knee," he said.
Lumos Inc. launched five years ago and now turns over the product in the warehouse every six weeks. McKay credits beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist Kerry Walsh for helping to make the product so popular.
"It's been a skyrocket ever since (she started using it)," he said. "We've enjoyed the success that comes with taking care of your customers."
While professional athletes use KT Tape and like it, the company's main customer is the everyday athlete or worker who wants relief from aches and pains. You can find KT Tape in Target, Walmart, Rite Aid and many sporting good stores.
