Here is the sneak peek video for one our newest applications for hamstring strain!  Read below for more details on how to use KT Tape to prevent injury, recover faster, and play harder than ever before!

Where do I apply KT Tape for hamstring relief?

Apply the base of KT Tape on the area just above the back of the knee. Be careful not to tape in the space directly behind the knee (nervous system issues, uncomfortable, and not necessary). Apply the tape towards and over the first part of the glutes with 10-20% stretch – while all skin is on stretch. Bend forward at the hips and have the knee in full extension to achieve maximum stretch on this skin. Lay the end down with no stretch. You can repeat this on the inner and outer hamstrings for even greater effect.

Why do hamstring injuries occur?

Hamstring injuries can occur for many reasons including, but not limited to: over-activity or insufficient rest, over-abrupt changes in direction or twisting during activity, dehydration, inadequate nutrition, or stretching the muscle too far. A lack of flexibility or training, muscle imbalance, or poor form can lead to frequent hamstring injuries as well.

How does KT Tape help?

This application can be used for most all hamstring issues including soreness, tightness, tears, spasms, and general pain. The application helps to relax the hamstring muscles while your foot is off of the ground in order to promote the healing process and give the muscle a break. Consequently, this application also helps to assist the muscles during contraction as your hips move over your feet. Increased blood flow results from the surface sensation and rushes more nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties to the area. With this assist in relaxation and activation, as well as the additional nutrients and anti-inflammatory components, you are sure to see a reduction in re-injury and healing time.

What else can I do to prevent further pain or injury?

To help alleviate the causes of hamstring injuries, make sure you stretch dynamically before activity. This means do some high knee raises, lunges, and squat thrusts prior to your high intensity activity. Drinking plenty of water and taking in sufficient electrolytes will drastically reduce all issues with muscles and help you to perform at a higher level. If muscle imbalance is the issue, consider visiting a professional for a KT Tape application that will help to activate those weaker muscles and inhibit the muscles that are overactive. And as always with an injury, consider decreasing activity while taping and icing.

The second-ever St. George Ironman kicked off last week, and KT Tape was a major player for many of the Ironman athletes there!  Dr. Jacob Luce of Luce Chiropractic and Dr. Tom Fletcher were two of the sports medicine doctors that treated athletes leading up to the race.

The winners of the 2011 St. George Ironman winner battled fiercely through high temperatures and a difficult course.  The winner for the men came down to the last mile of the race- with Mathias Hecht (8:32:03) followed closely by Maik Twelsiek who finished less than two minutes behind (8:33:46).  Hecht’s finishing time set a new course record by over eight minutes.

For the women, Heather Wurtele won her second St. George Ironman (she also won in 2010) with a margin of more than 35 minutes over second place Jackie Arendt (10:06:36).  Despite the heat Wurtele set a new course record with a time of 9:30:33.

Dr. Luce and Dr. Fletcher were onsite the week leading up to race to treat athletes preparing to compete.  This year the field had 1500 athletes, and the most popular triathlete injuries taped were:

1. Knee/IT band syndrome

2. Ankle

3. Hamstring

4. Low back

5. Shoulder

Click on the links above to view taping instructions for each of these applications.  To view more pictures of athletes taped at the St. George Ironman, visit the KT Tape Facebook page.

To view race results for the 2011 St. George Ironman, click here.

As a tradition, the best of Jamaica’s Track and Field athletes convene and compete at the biggest track and field event in the USA, the Penn Relays.    This is the fourth year in a row where Team Jamaica employed a sports chiropractic team to provide care to their athletes.       A popular component of their care was proprioceptive tape. KT Tape was provided this year in Jamaican Team colors: Black, Yellow and Green.    As expected, the most common taping was for lower extremity conditions such as shin splints and hamstring strains.

Click here to see more pictures from the event!

The KT Tape PRO EDU Program has partnered with California Education Connection (CEC), one of the leading education firms serving Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Chiropractic Physicians and other healthcare professionals.  Live, two-day workshops across the country are available to help professionals learn how to use KT Tape as a comprehensive modality for helping patients improve function, reduce pain, and recover faster. CEC/KT Tape instruction focuses on clinical and therapeutic strategies.  For more information on specific classes, qualifications to attend, schedules, and CEUs, see www.kttape.com/professional-education.

KT Tape and Sport Medics, an online education company focused on sports medicine professionals, offer an online continuing education course called Kinesiology Taping Fundamental Applications, designed and instructed by KT Tape clinician Dr.Ted Forcum, DC, DACBSP, FICC, CSCS, ’08 Olympic Sports Medicine Team Member. The course covers the basic philosophy and techniques of kinesiology taping and instructs students how to implement 19 basic therapeutic applications. Through this multimedia course, students can learn the basics of using Kinesiology Therapeutic Tape as well as practical applications.

Along with building a good base of strength and fitness, the skills of the game should be worked on, ideally as a team in order to produce a higher level of combined skills, as cricket is a sport that is played in two forms, batting and fielding.

BATSMAN

Batsman aim to stay at the crease for as long as possible, sometimes for periods of over 4 hours. In order to occupy this position, a good bats man most be able to stay focused, have good ball / eye skills, and have the strengths and fitness to make each shot played count.

The power will come from having a strong core, abdominal mid-section and the ability to generate explosive upper body actions, however with that said, using the kinetic energy of the ball as it speeds towards you, only requires a slight change in direction in order to score 4 runs – unfortunately this skill has only be given to a few class bats man.

FIELDING

Fielders need the ability to sustain a concentrated effort for a 6 hour plus period without fatigue, in sometimes very warm conditions. There bodies most be capable of explosive bursts at any given time – such as racing for a ball, jumping for a catch.

Aim to keep your body moving whilst on the pitch, walking and stretching the muscles whenever possible. Keep your mind busy by visualizing exactly what you will do when the ball comes towards you.

When you have a sport that requires explosive bursts, there is going to be soreness, muscle tears and strained tendons.  At KT Tape, we have the quintessential product that addresses these inherent discomforts.   KT Tape is highly effective at providing pain relief, stability & support, & faster recovery for injured or sore muscles and joints-without sacrificing comfort or freedom of movement.

Promoted by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month is being celebrated across the country. Check out the list of events happening in your area.

The mission of the League of American Bicyclists is to promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America.

In my early twenties while hiking through Glacier National Park, I would quietly snicker at those using hiking poles.  I simply didn’t understand them.  But I have since learned that when you hike with poles, you are distributing weight and shock over four limbs instead of two.  People who use hiking poles discover an almost immediate benefit to their knees, especially on downhill terrain, according to Mats Lundkvist of thebackpacker.com

Hiking poles or staffs help us to reduce weight on our feet and legs. The modern design of the hiking pole distributes the weight evenly on the whole body instead of legs. According to one estimate poles can reduce 15% of weight from your legs by spreading it on the arms and other parts of body. As they act like your legs so they also bear some of the weight. Especially when you are climbing on a steep hill, the poles bear much weight than in normal walking so the percentage of weight may rise even further.

When you take the leap and get hiking poles, you are doing yourself a favor, not just for your knees but for your overall safety in the back country as you maneuver through early runoff, unstable scree or wildlife on the trail.  It’s good to be versatile.

Here at KT Tape, we know the meaning of versatility.  Kinesiology Therapeutic tape is used for a myriad of reasons in addition to drug free pain relief,  including correcting body mechanics, creating biofeedback and increasing circulation & lymphatic drainage.  When I hit the trail this weekend, I’m going to be outfitted with poles and using KT Tape…join me!

In preparation for the Indianapolis 500 race, the 34th annual 500 Festival and Mini-Marathon will take place this weekend, and KT Tape will be there too!

The KT Tape Team will be at the KT Tape booth at the Mini-Marathon Expo to offer free taping demonstrations and advice to athletes.  Every year, over 40,000 visitors make their way to the expo to check out over 80 booths and exhibitors.

The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Expo will be held Thursday, May 6 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Indianan Convention Center, Halls D &E at 100 S. Capitol Ave.

Because KT Tape can be worn for up to five days per application, Indianapolis Marathon runners who stop by the KT Tape Booth can get taped up for race day at the expo! KT Tape is used by athletes to treat common sports injuries such as runner’s knee, shin splints, IT Band pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, and quad or hamstring strain.  It is the only solution that will provide pain relief and support before, during, and after the race—without restricting motion.  At the Expo, the KT Tape team will be available to answer questions, demo product taping methods, and introduce Indianapolis to this revolution in pain relief and performance enhancement.

Laura’s story inspires thousands daily as she is the Michael Jordan of women’s diving in the United States.  At 15 she was told she was too old to start a new sport.  She dove anyway.  Nine months later she was kicked off her high school diving team because she just didn’t have it.  She continued to dive anyway.  One year later, she found herself on the US National Team and earned a bronze medal at the World Cup.  She would go on to win the 2000 Olympic platform gold medal in one of the biggest Olympic upsets in history.  Oh by the way, she did this with a foot she shattered in a training accident.

The bottom line:  Diving requires mental toughness, grit and a high degree of discipline.  From the words of Herbie Huesman, former standout on the University of Notre Dame Diving Team,

Diving, like any sport, takes an extreme amount of dedication and perseverance. Although people think of it is a non-contact sport, I don’t know of many football players who tackle at 35 mph which is the speed at which divers hit the water off the 10 meter platform. That’s the equivalent of a three story building! Diving is all about repetition. Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. That means six hours of training a day during the summer, in the gym and pool, is normal. Obviously the toll on the human body is substantial and that is why you don’t see many divers compete much past the age of 30. Two reconstructed shoulders and a stress fracture in my back are proof of the rigors of the sport.

As far as equipment goes, diving requires very little.  During a training regimen, however, divers go through a lot of ice, lots of reps in the weight room and tape, primarily for ankles and wrists.    Kinesiology therapeutic tape is perfect for this sport in every way.  Not only is KT Tape ultra-light, and strong, but it’s WATERPROOF!  This is why KT Tape is the official kinesiology tape for the USA Waterpolo Team.  KT Tape is highly effective at providing pain relief, stability & support, & faster recovery for injured or sore muscles and joints-without sacrificing comfort or freedom of movement.  As a diver, what more could you want?  So all you divers throw on the suit and tape up; you are about to reach a new level.

See you there!

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The KT Tape Team is heading to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon this weekend! The team will be hanging out at the GNC Live Well Health and Fitness Expo offering

The Pittsburgh Marathon Health and Fitness Expo will be held Friday April 30 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, May 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the David Lawrence Convention Center at 100 Fort Duquesne Blvd. Because KT Tape can be worn for up to five days per application, Pittsburgh Marathon runners who stop by the KT Tape Booth can get taped up for race day at the expo!

KT Tape is used by athletes to treat common sports injuries such as runner’s knee, shin splints, IT Band pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and quad or hamstring strain.  It is the only solution that will provide pain relief and support before, during, and after the race—without restricting motion.  At the Expo, the KT Tape team will be available to answer questions, demo product taping methods, and introduce Pittsburgh to this revolution in pain relief and performance enhancement.

Many benefits are associated with practice of Hot Yoga.  According to Tanya Martinenko of Suite101.com, “Yoga works on many different levels, both physical and psychological; and the deeper, lasting benefits are more noticeable over time and a regular practice. But even just one hot yoga session will leave you feeling relaxed, energized, and renewed; and will fill you with a wonderful sense of accomplishment.” Other benefits include weight loss, appetite control, the curbing of anxiety and depression, and core strength improvement.

With a huge amount of fluid loss inherent in this style of Yoga, one should make sure to show up to each session well hydrated and continue to hydrate throughout the day.

And since you’re likely a KT Tape user, we encourage you to remember to tape up before the class, since it will be harder to tape up when you are extremely sweaty.  Tape up sixty minutes prior to class starting, and you’re good to go. If done properly, the tape won’t come off in hot yoga, no matter how hard you sweat.  Click here to see the IMPORTANT TIPS listed on our website. KT Tape remains in place whether you are bathing in your own perspiration, swimming, or showering.   KT Tape does not restrict motion like other wraps, tapes or bands.  In the world of yoga, you cannot afford to have any motion restricted. This elastic athletic tape will reduce the muscle pain you will certainly experience  during the early stages of your hot yoga journey.  So turn up the heat, shed the clothes and drink copious amounts of water. Twist yourself into health and bring KT Tape along the way.