Kinesiology Tape - What is it?

Have you seen the brightly coloured tape that lots of athletes are wearing at the Olympics this summer and wondered what it is? It is called Kinesiology tape and comes in a variety of colours – blue, black, pink, beige and also in a variety of designs including a union jack one that has been worn by some of the GB volleyball squad and also by runner Dwain Chambers. Kinesiology tape was founded about 25 years ago by Dr Kenzo Kase and has become increasingly popular with other brands now being introduced including Rock Tape. All different types of kinesiology tape are very similar but vary on the application strategies that are taught on their courses.

What Does It Do and How Does It Work?

Kinesio tape is not restrictive like normal athletic tape, and plays a different role entirely. Kinesio is designed to support muscles and joints without preventing movement. The tape has patterns on the adhesive side (see fig. 1) that can help to lift the skin in different areas to assist with lymph drainage during inflammation and can relieve pressure on nerve endings, decreasing pain.  Also, because the tape is non-restrictive it allows athletes to fully engage in their sport and not focus on painful areas.

Fig. 1. This picture shows the adhesive side of some pink Kinesio tape. The lines wave horizontally along the tape.  

Kinesio UK suggest the tape can be worn for up to 3-5 days but should be applied an hour before exercise or showering.  There is limited research to show the effectiveness of the tape up to 5 days after the application date and in my experience, no matter how well I stick the tape down it usually starts to peel off and fray after the second or third day.

It can be used for injury prevention and relief from muscle tightness to allow freedom of movement during sporting or everyday activities.  Additionally it can be used to assist in the treatment of muscular strains, shoulder pain (see fig.2) and to reduce swelling by using a variety of application techniques.

Fig. 2. This picture shows how the tape can be applied to help treat biceps tendonitis.

In order to apply it effectively, practitioners need to go on a course which is run by the Kinesio Taping Association. Both myself and Alex have been on such courses that allow us apply the tape effectively to gain maximum benefits.

If you would like to know more about kinesiology taping visit www.kinesiotaping.co.uk or comment on this blog and we would be happy to answer any of your questions. Additionally, you can visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/theringwoodclinic and write on our wall!

25 Random Facts about Sara...

Sara is a graduate of University of Hertfordshire and a member of the Society of Sports Therapists.

Sara has experience working a season at Brumbies RFC (Super 15 rugby team) and with competitors at the Virgin London Marathon.

Sara's full profile is up on the main website's 'about us' page.

Below is a less formal introduction - Sara has written a similar blog post to this one that I wrote in early 2011, 25 random facts about me.

So with out further ado here are the 25 random facts that Sara wanted to share with us...

1) I have a younger sister called Helen and a younger brother called David 

2) My degree in Sports Therapy was 4 years instead of 3 because I did a placement year in my 3rd year in Australia with the Brumbies

3) For my education - I went to a private primary school in Eastleigh; Bournemouth School for Girls for secondary school and sixth form and went to the University of Hertfordshire to get my degree

4) My favourite subject at school was PE and my least favourite were English and Science. Ironically, my best subject in pub quizzes is now the science round!

5) I have completed Bronze, Silver and the majority of my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards

6) I have been horse riding from the age of 4

7) I have two horses called Jaffa and Nutmeg

8) I have visited, on holiday, places including the East and West coasts of the USA, Canada, Mauritius, Zante, Corfu, Menorca, Portugal, France, Malta, Ireland and Australia, however I have never been to Scotland

9) I used to have a bad phobia of snakes, however I forced myself to watch TV programs such as 'Venom Hunter' before going to Australia as I thought I would be coming across snakes regularly...however I didn't see a single one! It did make me less scared of snakes.. but I still don't like them very much

10) I was born with little toes that crossed over the top of my 4th toes and didn't have this rectified by surgery until I was 18

11) I was born in Poole Hospital and have lived in the same house with my parents for my whole life (except for when I'm at uni)

12) I love the countryside and when I'm in London can't wait to get back home again!

13) My favourite film is Love Actually, although I can only watch it at Christmas time!

14) I joined the kayaking club at uni and enjoy paddling on white water/rivers (however I don't have a boat so can't paddle very easily currently!)

15) I own a yellow mini which is called 'Custard'

16) I love to bake cakes and other sweet treats in my spare time - some are more successful than others!

17) If I had a super power I would be able to fly because I hate sitting in traffic jams (especially on hot days!)

18) I met my boyfriend Matt at the kayaking club at uni and we have been together ever since

19) I like playing netball and have played in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere!

20) My favourite sport to watch is rugby

21) My favourite colour is pink but I love all pastel colours!

22) Christmas is my favourite time of the year

23) I am still really close to my friends from secondary school even though we all went to different universities across England and Wales

24) I love talking about injuries to other therapists or to members of the public - I find it really interesting and could talk for hours

25) My favourite ride at Thorpe Park is 'Saw' and at Alton Towers is 'Air'!

If you would like to book in with Sara please either call 01425 480030 or use our online booking system. 

Online Booking - Now Available

You can now book your appointments online...

The system is very simple to use.

Just go to the main website www.TheRingwoodClinic.co.uk  and click the book online tab which is in the right hand column of the website.

IMPORTANT

1) Enter your current email as this will be used to send you an immediate confirmation of your appointment

2) If you have a mobile number enter that too - this allows the system to send you an automatic text reminder the day before your appointment.

3) If the appointment slot that you need is not available call in on 01425 480030 as occasionally there may be additional time slots available that are not displayed.

Finally watch the video below showing you how it works:

N/b The video has no sound

3 things you must never do to an ACUTE injury

This post will be short and sweet but please take 30 seconds to read it.

Avoiding the three things below will save you much time in recovery.

1. Never put HEAT on an acute injury

If you have just had an acute injury the area will immediately go into an inflammatory response.

If the area around the injury is hot, red, swollen or painful you must avoid putting heat on it.

Heat will only increase the inflammatory response along with any bleeding or bruising in the area. Avoid heat at this stage! Including hot baths.

2. Never MASSAGE an acute injury

This is for exactly the same reasons as I set out above.

Massage on an acute injury will only increase blood flow which in turn will increase the inflammatory response. Avoid massage on a 'new' injury!

3. Never try to 'RUN OFF ' an acute injury

This rule really falls into the common sense category. If you've just sprained an ankle, twisted a knee or pulled a hamstring you must stop exercising if it's causing you pain.

If you keep running on a painful joint or muscle then you will be creating additional trauma to the muscle fibers or joint surfaces.

To add to this, these type of injuries can feel less severe while the muscles are still warm it's only when you stop and cool down when the joint or muscle begins to 'stiffen up'. This is the point when you realise the full extent of your injury.

STOP if you are in pain to avoid causing more damage.

11 things I learnt in 2011

At the end of each year I like to spend a bit of time to reflect on how my year has gone. As always I would like to have 'achieved' more than I did, but none the less I'm always surprised at how much I DID get done.

Reaching January 2012 means that I have completed one full year in my new clinic. This is obviously a significant mile stone to me and I thought it would be a shame not to mark it here on my blog.

2011 will be a special year to me for a number of reasons but most significantly it's the year I got engaged to my girlfriend Gemma. We're getting married this year (2012) in early November which we're both very excited about.

Along with reflecting on my previous 'achievements' I also like to write down some of the things I've learnt.

Here are 11 'Sports Therapy' related things I learnt (or have been reminded of) in 2011:

1) Everyones body is unique and will respond to treatments differently. For example one stretch may work well with 7 out of 10 people, however the other 3 out of 10 will require a very different approach.

2) The most common 'problem' I see in the clinic is related to shoulder and neck tension (or stiffness). The majority of this is due to poor posture. Fix your posture!

3) Writing this blog is enjoyable AND a useful tool for attracting new clients. I've had a number of people book in after reading one of my blog posts. Remarkably I had a mother bring her daughter on a 7 hour round trip from Suffolk after they read this blog post. Incredible!

4) Increasing your mobility, range of motion or flexibility in many cases is easier than most people think. It just takes a consistent (daily) approach with the right exercises or stretches.

5) Look after your body, because there are some structures and tissues that once damaged cannot be put back to 'normal'.

6) Deal with your injuries as early as possible - This really is important. Doing nothing and leaving an injury to 'settle down for a few weeks' is not a good approach.

7) When injured the majority of my clients don't know when to use ice vs when to use heat.

8) Normal people can complete extraordinary things with the right dedication. I've had a number of 'normal' clients do some extraordinary things from endurance horse riding events (100 miles) to first time iron man events. Very inspiring.

9) If you have an on going knee problem you MUST look at the joints above and below the knee (i.e. the hip and ankle).

10) The foam roller is a great self massage and treatment tool.

11) If you work in a desk job you must take time to stretch - see point 2.

And one bonus: Many people have very weak and under-active glutes that are causing back pain.

Printable foam roller exercise sheet

9 Foam Roller Exercises - Printable PDF

After publishing my original foam roller post at the beginning of the year I've had a number of my clients ask me if I could put together a printable sheet of foam roller exercises for them.

After doing this separately 4-5 times I thought it would be best to put a sheet of exercises here on the blog, so everyone can benefit.

If you are interested in using the foam roller for your own 'self massage' click here for my first post on how to use the foam roller, there is a useful video on the basics there.

Once you've done that click here and print off a program sheet of exercises.

Finally read this...

3 top mistakes when using the foam roller

1) You're rolling too fast - most people I see roll up and down the foam far to fast. Slow down. As you're rolling you should be 'scanning' your muscles for trigger points, knots and scar tissue. To make it easier if you are rolling a large muscle group like your thigh (quads) then roll them in two halves. The top half, then the bottom half separately. As a rule it's better to roll too slowly then too fast!

2) You're not stopping on the trigger points - When you're rolling you should be 'scanning' for the knots and trigger points. You'll know you're on them as the area will be pretty uncomfortable once you've got pressure on them. Unfortunately these are the areas that need the work, much like if you were having a sports massage the focus will be on the problem areas. The same goes for when you're foam rolling, when you find these areas spend some time going SLOWLY backwards and forwards over them.

3) You're not doing it for long enough - Everyone asks me how long you should foam roll for. This is a 'how long's a piece of string' type question. The time required will differ hugely between individuals. However here is a good rule for effective use of the foam roller: Roll your trigger points long enough for your discomfort (some times pain) levels to drop by 50%. Depending on where you're rolling this may take as little as 30 seconds all the way up to 5 mins. However long it takes your aim is to reduce your discomfort level 50% - Simple!

Neck and Shoulder Pain? Read this!

***See below for a free printable exercise sheet to reduce pain and improve posture***

General neck and shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints I see in the clinic.

A significant percentage of this neck pain is related to poor posture.

The type of posture I'm specifically talking about is the 'hunched over the computer' type posture we all have a tendency to fall into.

The upper body is hunched, the shoulders are rounded and the head is forward (see the 'evolution of man' picture below).

Unfortunately we ALL spend far to much time in postures similar to this.

We are most at risk of this type of postural pain when we are driving, working at our desk and sitting on the sofa reading.

With many people this type of posture has become habitual.

It can become 'difficult' or 'hard work' to sit with correct posture.

This is because the body has adapted over time; poor posture has become the 'default' option for the body.

Poor posture has now become the 'easy' option to adopt.

The problem with this type of posture is that over time it causes huge imbalances in the muscular tissue around the neck and shoulders.

The chest muscles become tight and shorted, the muscles between the shoulder blades become weak and lengthen.

The knock on effect of these changes can lead to several problems.

These problems can range from the build up of trigger points in the muscles, nerve compression around the neck and shoulder, altered respiration, impinged blood supply as well as extra stress on the discs and joints in the neck.

The list of potential problems goes on and on.

The good news is that in many cases pain around the neck and shoulders can be resolved

successfully by simply focusing on improving your posture.

There are a number of practical steps that can be taken to gain some balance back in the shoulders and neck.

As a start I have included a sheet below of exercises specifically selected to reduce pain and improve posture in the upper body.

There are 4 exercises on the sheet, which includes both stretching and strengthening exercises.

These exercise are great if you have general neck and shoulder stiffness, if you have acute pain

they may not be suitable for you.

The complete exercise plan should take no longer than 15 minutes in total and should be performed every day (ideally in the evening).

Please print a copy off and put it up somewhere in your office or home where it will remind you to perform them daily.

Warning: DO NOT complete these exercises if your pain is high (or very acute).

Click here for a printable pdf sheet with 4 simple exercises that you can perform daily to improve your posture and reduce your neck and shoulder pain.

NB. This is a general program, more specific exercises and treatment methods may need to be used for differing issues however this is a good starting place for most postural based problems.

As always if you have any questions about your neck and shoulder pain or more specific questions about the exercise plan please do email.

(Evolution of man poster - are we going backwards?)

Ultrasound Treatment at Home?

Swelling? inflammation?

Hire a home use Ultrasound unit - £42 per week.

Ultrasound has traditionally been used in a 'clinical' setting by Physiotherapists (and other health professionals) to speed up the rate of healing and improve the long term quality of tissue repair.

Up until recently it has only been practical to use in a clinic, this has mainly been due to the fact clinical ultrasound units are expensive to purchase, bulky and have required specialist knowledge use.

However, recently an Australian based company have manufactured a small 'home use' ultrasound device, that has been designed to be used by the 'general public'.

*** The picture above shows on the right my clinic based ultrasound unit (pretty large!), with the home use ultrasound device on the left. The home based device has all of the electrics built into the head***

I often use ultrasound within my treatments, however the greatest benefits of using ultrasound can found in using it on a regular basis (up to twice a day). Obviously having daily ultrasound treatments are not practical unless you are a professional footballer (or athlete) with access to professional care.

The good news is that I've now purchased two 'home use' ultrasound devices. These units can be used to speed up the treatment of injuries or complaints including:

• Sprains / strains (with swelling present)
• Muscle spasms
• Tennis and golfers elbow
• Knee and ankle problems
• Back pain
• Heel spurs and achilles problems
• Joint pain
• Tendonitis
• Shin pain
• As well as a number of sports related injuires

If you have just sustained an injury or have a chronic complaint please do email me to ask if Ultrasound therapy can help you.

Treatment Room for Hire (Ringwood)

There is a treatment room available for hire / lease at the clinic.

The room would be suitable for any of the following professionals:

• Physiotherapist
• Chiropractor
• Osteopath
• Massage therapist
• Nutritionist
• Counsellor
• Podiatrist / Chiropodist
• Any similar professional

Please email Alex at office@theringwoodclinic.co.uk if you (or anyone you may know) are intersted in hiring out the treatment room.

Sport massage, injury treatment & rehabilitation

Covering Ringwood, Bournemouth, Verwood, Fordingbridge, West Moors, Ferndown and New Forest

Why are foam roller exercises becoming so popular?

I'm often talking about using a foam roller to help perform 'self massage' in between treatments at the clinic.

Increasingly I've seen more and more gyms adding 'foam rollers' to their equipment list. You will normally find them in the gym by the matted area used for core and stretching work.

Foam rollers are hugely popular as they are a great way to improve your mobility and 'tissue quality' at home.

Below is a very clear video, by Alex Poole a strength and conditioning coach based in Bristol demonstarting how to use the foam roller.

The video shows him rolling the following areas:

1. IT Band
2. Quadriceps (front of thigh)
3. Adductor (groin)
4. Gluteal
5. Upper back (thoracic region)

There are additional area's that will benefit from foam rolling, but these 5 are a good place to start.

You can buy foam rollers direct from http://www.physiosupplies.com. Get the Blue 15cm by 90cm size.

If you have any questions email me at office@theringwoodclinic.co.uk.

Sport massage, injury treatment & rehabilitation

Covering Ringwood, Bournemouth, Verwood, Fordingbridge, West Moors, Ferndown and New Forest

Knee Pain? Grinding, clicking or clunking

Increasingly more and more people have been coming to see me at the clinic with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (or pain at the front of the knee).

The pain is often associated with grinding, clicking and clunking in the knee which is made worse by squating type movements and walking up/downstairs.

This grinding, clicking and clunking is NOT normal and will most likely indicate that your patella (or knee cap) is tracking poorly. If your patella is not tracking correctly at the front of the knee then it will 'rub' against the edge of the femur, which will in turn cause it to grind, click or clunk.

Alongside the grinding, clicking and clunking some people also report a 'giving way' in the knee or a general feeling of being unstable.

Again this is NOT normal.

The good news is that with the correct treatment this pain (as well as the associated grinding, click and clunking) can normally be resolved successful with out the need for any surgical intervention.

The cause of this 'poor tracking' in the knee is often due to muscle imbalances in the thigh muscles (quadriceps) and weakness in the hip muscles.

With the correct exercises and treatment most often these imbalances can be addressed.

For a more detailed explanation of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome click here.

Additionally if you have any questions you would like answered about you own knee pain please do email me.

--- --- ---

Treatments that I use to resolve Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, may include some / all of the following:

1. Mobilisations to the patella to 'free up' tight structures.
2. Massage to the IT-Band, to help address the muscle imbalances.
3. Home exercises specifically designed to even out the muscle imbalances.
4. Ultrasound to help improve the inflammatory process.
5. Taping to help re-position the knee cap.
6. Referral to a podiatrist if your imbalances are associated with poor bio-mechanics at your feet.

What is your Bodyfat percentage?

I can now measure your body fat using Accu-Measure bodyfat callipers.

These callipers will give you an accurate measure (within 1.1% of laboratory standard testing) of your overall fat percentage.

We simply take one skin fold measurement at your hip, just above the prominent bone at the front.

This gives us a reading in mm (or inches) which we can compare to a chart (see below). This chart adjusts for your age as well as sex and gives an accurate measurement of your overall body fat.

You will be able to find out whether you fall in the lean, ideal, average or over fat category.

Body fat measurements are much more accurate then calculating your BMI or taking your weight on scales.

Go to Accu-Measures own site if you want to know more!

***For those of you who are interested in finding out your body fat percentage please email me at office@theringwoodclinic.co.uk and we can arrange to take your measurement at your next appointment.***

Sport massage, injury treatment & rehabilitation

Covering Ringwood, Bournemouth, Verwood, Fordingbridge, West Moors, Ferndown and New Forest