Holding Together

I'm one week out from Arizona, and have managed to hold it all together without suffering any injuries during training.  That's due to a combination of a smart training program, injury-preventing body work (any little niggles were immediately subjected to ART, Graston & IMS by my chiro and PT), and a whoooooole lot of luck.

One thing that's really helped my chronic knee injury is KT Tape.  Jason first started using it a few years ago under the guidance of our chiropractor (Dr. Jim Verners in Victoria, BC).  Admittedly, I was skeptical.  How can a piece of tape do anything?  Jason assured me it helped him through a plethora of injuries, so when my knee let me know it was venturing down an unhappy path, I decided to give KT Tape a try.

KT Tape / kinesio tape / SpiderTech tape / a bunch of other brands is basically a flexible fabric tape that has several different functions depending on how it's applied.  It can be support, help to enable movement, help to restrict movement, encourage lymphatic drainage, relieve pain, prevent injuries... etc... All you need to know is the particular application for the body part and the function you need.  Jim helped me get started, but there are many many YouTube videos that can anyone can watch and learn from.

Normally after a long run (1.75 hour +), my left knee gets pretty sore, a bit swollen, and I limp around for a day.  Once I started using KT Tape - no pain, no swelling - no limping... almost unbelievable but true.  Now I can't even imagine going for a long run without taping up first.

Do-it-yourself knee support using
two separate pieces of KT Tape.

SpiderTech's pre-cut "full knee spider".

I tape my knee, and am considering trying it on my adductors for long runs as well.   Jason has taped his calf, achilles tendon, hamstring, anterior tibilalis, vastus medialus (part of the quadricep), rotator cuff and shins.  (Don't ask...) We are both KT Tape converts, and it's my go-to suggestion for anyone experiencing pain or discomfort.  I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but give it a try!