Whats On Olympian Kerri Walshs Shoulder?
Allison Van Dusen, 08.15.08, 4:02 PM ET On an average day Albuquerque, N.M.-based Kinesio USA, a seller of elastic therapeutic tape, gets 700 to 800 hits on its Web site. But thanks to an Olympics beach volleyball player and her eye-catching, mysterious black “tattoo,” that number spiked to 54,000 and made “kinesio tape” the second-most Googled term last Saturday. The surge in interest followed viewers’ first glimpse of American Kerri Walsh, who’s been sporting a web of tape on her right shoulder during matches. Walsh, who had shoulder surgery last fall to repair a torn rotator cuff, probably wears the thin strips primarily to relieve pain. They also correct muscle and joint function and improve circulation by applying compression to the skin. The tape itself, which goes for $15 a roll, contains no medicinal properties. Walsh’s use of the product has given the company’s sales a big boost too. The Monday after an NBC Olympics commentator explained the therapeutic purpose behind Walsh’s
