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German beach volleyball player Katrin Holtwick (Katrin Holtwick) may be better known internationally for the aquamarine lines on her abdomen, rather than her serve and spikes at the London Olympics. But the 28-year-old Olympian did not make a fashion statement. She used tape to relieve the pain and perform better. In theory, anyway.

Kinesiology tape, or sports tape for short, is a soft cloth tape that sports trainers attach to painful muscles to relieve pain or encourage muscles to work more effectively. Specially trained people apply tape to the muscles in a precise way; the tape exerts force on the muscles to make them more synchronized.

Dr. Aaron Mares, Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery of UPMC Sports Medicine and associate doctor of the University of Pittsburgh football team, said: "This is a cotton tape with a certain adhesive that can simulate the elasticity of the skin."

But not all fans of sports tape are elite, Olympic athletes—for example, amateur runners and cyclists also use this material.

Fans of the intramuscular patch say that it relieves pain by increasing blood flow and promoting lymphatic drainage. It is also designed to help muscles work properly after injury. Suppose a beach volleyball player has a sore shoulder muscle. Her serve may be different because she is using other muscles to overcompensate for the tender muscles. Intramuscular tape—again, theoretically—should reduce the inflammation that causes pain and encourage her muscles to move normally.

"If there is a structural injury like ACL tear or meniscus, it won't work; after all, it's tape," explains Dr. David Geier, an orthopedic surgeon and director of the sports medicine program at the Medical University of South Carolina.

At present, there is not a large number of studies showing that intramuscular tape is indeed effective-but if athletes think it is helpful, then it is sufficient in itself. This may be an example of a placebo effect, which is a phenomenon in which people feel better after taking a pill, even though it may be ineffective. Traditional tapes—such as those used for sprained ankles—and intramuscular tapes help people perform proprioception, that is, people’s perception of body parts relative to the position of the body. Even just re-acquainting athletes with the simple behavior of their own bodies may make them feel that their bodies are neat and complete—and ready to participate in the competition.

"[Kinesio tape] does not harm patients. If athletes feel that this might help them benefit from a performance perspective, I have no problems with their attempts," Mares said.

But Greer added that intramuscular tape alone may not make the injury go away. He recommends physical therapy, ice compresses, and over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin or ibuprofen to treat sports injuries.

Meghan Holohan is a contributing writer covering health and parenting issues for TODAY.com. She likes cooking, yoga, reading, music and walking her two rescue dogs. Follow her on Twitter to see her recent stories.