Kinesiology taping -- shin splits, etc.

[Halcyon]

I'd known about kinesiology taping for a while but only recently tried it out for a nagging shin splint injury I've been nursing due to running (and possibly combined with kendo). Early results after a couple of weeks is very promising. Taped myself up and then went for a 13-mile run over the weekend and the shin is feeling better than it has in a few months.

This is the brand that I used but I'm sure there are others out there.
http://www.kttape.com/index.php

Kinda wish I'd tried it earlier. Maybe there's a placebo effect as well ... but hey, I'll take the relief whatever form it comes in.

[turboyoshi]

Do you mean you use the tape to prevent future injuries or do you wear the tape while you are injured? Does it speed up recovery?

[Halcyon]

I use it to create a little extra support while I'm still not 100%. The best thing to do when you're injured is obviously to rest it, but sometimes you just needs a little aid to get you over the hump.

I dunno whether it speeds up recovery. But the tape is stretchy, so by taping yourself up in a specific pattern, you can create some extra support in desired areas, almost like an extra ligament taking a bit of the load.

[DigitalDowntown]

Anybody tried those titanium sticker things? I have a couple of sample packs of them, but I'm not sure what kind of ailment I should try them with? Use during physical activity, or while resting?
I'm always fighting some tendonitis in my elbows and occasionally have some fatigue in the knees and/or left wrist, but I hesitate to stick some unkown dots on me.

The kinesiology tape worked pretty well for my wife when she was recovering from knee surgery. Her physical therapist taught her how to use it but never mentioned anything about titanium stickers.

[turboyoshi]

I dunno whether it speeds up recovery. But the tape is stretchy, so by taping yourself up in a specific pattern, you can create some extra support in desired areas, almost like an extra ligament taking a bit of the load.

Hmm, I've had some nagging almost-pain in the back of my left leg, up above the calf, almost right behind the knee and was wondering if this might be useful. It feels like if I don't do something, it will turn into an injury but I don't think there's anything wrong yet so I'm not willing to shell out for a dr visit yet. If I can figure out the proper tape procedure, I'll give it a try.

[JSchmidt]

I call kinesio-tape 'magic tape', because that's what it is. Something hurts, you stick some k-tape on it and stops hurting. Magic.
Ok, so I have a vague idea of how it works ("lifts" up the skin, promoting blood flow to the underlying tissue along with a little bit of support/stabilization), but it still works far better than it should.

I also know that several of the Team Canada members around the last WKC were literally held together with kinesio-tape

[Halcyon]

I call kinesio-tape 'magic tape', because that's what it is. Something hurts, you stick some k-tape on it and stops hurting. Magic.
Ok, so I have a vague idea of how it works ("lifts" up the skin, promoting blood flow to the underlying tissue along with a little bit of support/stabilization), but it still works far better than it should.

I know, right?!!

I'm not exactly sure how it works either, but I have noticed that it takes a bit of practice to tape things up the way you like it. You're supposed to stretch the tape out in certain parts (more support) as you apply it and in other parts just tape it without any stretch (more flex). Once I got the routine down, it was surprising how much extra support I felt.

[Toshiro Mifune]

I've seen people use it for kendo that since they started never go without it. I can see it provides extra support but I would have to see the results between using it and regular sports tape. Most of the time the person taped themselves in a way that looks like it provided extra support. So I don't know how much of the benefit was derived from kinesio tape. I've used it for the hard to taped areas but the tape is expensive so I stoped using it.

[ShinKenshi]

I've used it quite a bit for various injuries I've sustained, particularly my knee. The only problem when using it is you need to make sure the skin you're sticking it to is really clean (a quick alcohol swab works perfectly). I also found that body hair interferes with the adhesive so if you've got a lot where you want to tape, so in some cases drastic measures may need to be taken. All that being said though, it's really amazing how much this tape helps when applied correctly. Another nice benefit is that once applied, it can stay put for a few days and will even withstand a few trips in the shower.

[Halcyon]

I think one of the important things to keep in mind about an aid like this is to use it only when you need to get over the hump. After that, you have to tackle the underlying issues that caused the injury and work on it with things like weight/strength training. But hey, it's certainly nice to have something like this around.

When you have an injury, of course the best thing is to rest it. But I've learned over the years that part of being active is learning the limits of one's own body, and learning to interpret the signals (pain) that it's giving you, and knowing what you can work through. And even though it may not be the smartest thing to do to work through an injury, I find that I get a psychological benefit from knowing I can if I have to. Kendo is a budo after all -- I know it's kind of an old-school point of view, but you can't just do kendo only when you're feeling good.

[Bokushingu]

I used both K-Tape & Titainium Tape--both worked well. a really good way to fight Shin splints is by doing Alphabet stretch before and after training. Draw the alphabet with your toes...a P.T. taught me that...works really well.

[Kokoro777]

I'm not sure how much kinesiotape costs (a premium for what it is I'll bet) but has anyone tried using gaffa tape or similar as a cheaper alternative? It sticks like sh*t to a blanket!

I'm not sure how this all works. The skin is very loosely attached to the underlying tissue so I'd've thought the tape would simply stretch the skin rather than do anything deep down in the tissues. A very brief look at the science literature shows mixed effect (increased flexion ability with the tape, enhanced reduction in lower limb oedema with taping and no effect in treatment of spasticity after stroke) but its all vague.

But if it works...A larger-scale trial needs to be performed I think and would be easy to do.

[Kokoro777]

I'm not sure how much kinesiotape costs (a premium for what it is I'll bet) but has anyone tried using gaffa tape or similar as a cheaper alternative? It sticks like sh*t to a blanket!

I'm not sure how this all works. The skin is very loosely attached to the underlying tissue so I'd've thought the tape would simply stretch the skin rather than do anything deep down in the tissues. A very brief look at the science literature shows mixed effect (increased flexion ability with the tape, enhanced reduction in lower limb oedema with taping and no effect in treatment of spasticity after stroke) but its all vague.

But if it works...A larger-scale trial needs to be performed I think and would be easy to do.

[MikalMysha]

Is gaffa tape the same as Gaffer's Tape or Duct Tape? If so, that stuff isn't nice to leave on your skin for long periods of time, especially during sports, and people can break out in rashes from the adhesive, and removing it can be... interesting.

I personally use normal sports tape (the white cloth tape), and it works quite well for smaller things, though I would like it to have a bit more give during movement. I'd be interested in trying out this kinesiotape tape for my knee or shoulder since they were injured about 14 months ago and haven't healed perfectly yet.

[turboyoshi]

Is gaffa tape the same as Gaffer's Tape or Duct Tape? If so, that stuff isn't nice to leave on your skin for long periods of time, especially during sports, and people can break out in rashes from the adhesive, and removing it can be... interesting.

I personally use normal sports tape (the white cloth tape), and it works quite well for smaller things, though I would like it to have a bit more give during movement. I'd be interested in trying out this kinesiotape tape for my knee or shoulder since they were injured about 14 months ago and haven't healed perfectly yet.

Yeah gaffa and gaffer's are the same thing. Duct tape uses a different kind of adhesive as it's meant to stay put. The thing with the kinesio tape is that it stretches with you so I think it would provide more freedom of movement without compromising support. Cloth tape isn't usually very stretchy.