Tennis elbow, golf elbow, even airplane knee: a pro talks about twists, pulls and sprains

October 26, 7:14 PMSan Jose Fitness ExaminerAmy Rabinovitz

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Dr. Ted Forcum, '08 US Olympic
Sports Medicine Team Member and
ACA Sports Council President talks
about uses of kinesiology tape.

 

Pro athletes have multiple resources when they pull, twist, sprain or otherwise hurt a muscle: a cadre of professionals, top-notch expertise, great equipment and supplies.

Weekend warriors make do with conflicting advice to "rest it," "ice it", "heat it", "remember RICE", and "work out the kinks." In the end, it's usually a bottle of ibuprofen to the rescue.

See the video below for using tape with tennis elbow

This summer KT Tape launched an effort to bring the kinesiology tape used by Olympic athletes to the consumer market. Little warning bells went off in my head when I read that it was being touted as "drug-free pain relief," but, in fact, that is precisely what kinesiology tape does for a number of common fitness-related injuries.

The product is endorsed by Olympic Gold-Medalist Kerri Walsh and has an A-level Advisory Board, including Keith Kleven (Tiger Woods' athletic trainer) and Ted Forcum DC, (Team Chiropractor for the US Olympic Committee at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.)

Dr. Forcum agreed to an interview about how KT Tape can help the average fitness buff who suffers occasional injuries and pains.

First, is there any time when kinesiology tape (a thin, stretchy, therapeutic tape used for injuries and inflammation) should not be used?
Dr. Forcum: Don't use KT Tape, or any kinesiology tape, over an infection, open wound or cancer. Don't tape it around your abdomen if you're pregnant. If your skin starts to burn or itch you should take it off, but it's hypo-allergenic so that is very unlikely. Overall, this is a product that is incredibly safe to use and will reduce pain and swelling.

What are the pluses?
It's waterproof, so I used it in Beijing on a water polo athlete. It allows for movement so in Rio [the 2007 Pan American Games] I used it on a runner with a foot fracture. It's easy to apply. It's safe to use. It's inexpensive. Everyone can use it.

What are practical uses for someone who just gets the occasional pull, twist or sprain?
I keep KT Tape in my personal first aid kit. On a recent back woods trip, I used it to tape the ankle of someone who twisted his ankle. And [laughing] I also used it for an emergency repair on my bike.
I love it for hamstrings because it doesn't restrict range of motion. It's great for shoulders, though it's difficult to apply it yourself to the shoulder. For knee, calf, ankle, foot, it's very easy to apply to yourself. It's great for tennis and golf elbow.

And, I bandage my knee before a long plane flight because it helps me prevent "airplane knee" - [the soreness and stiffness that comes from immobility].

What about the aches that active boomers are prone to discover?
We're the no-pain no gain generation, so we're particularly vulnerable to injuries that the product can fix. It's also excels with chronic pains like those in the hamstrings and shoulders flare.