KT Tape Pro doesn’t stop working. Not even when you do. It is engineered to perform in the harshest environments. It has the tenacity to last for an entire week, through multiple runs, daily showers, in humidity, cold, or in the pool. It features a patented SecondSkin adhesive that will go as long as you do, and—no offense—probably longer. But how does it perform in water?

Dr. Narson, a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Associations’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year in 1999-2000, recently tested KT Tape Pro in the pool. Here is his report:

So, we’ve all seen the Olympic beach volleyball players wearing that funky looking colorful tape on their shoulders and knees. You’ve probably seen it at local triathlons, marathons and other sporting events as well.

There are several companies out there but one in particular is making a special synthetic tape with a waterproof adhesive. KT Tape’s KT Tape Pro has the same elasticity as the original tape but puts it on a more tough synthetic material and keeps it in place with a heat sensitive waterproof adhesive.

Many athletes use this tape to help in the correction of postural dysfunction, to aid the healing of an injury or to give a particular motion some extra assistance (physically and proprioceptively). The problem has always been, when the athlete starts sweating, the tape begins to lose its stickiness and peel off. So, I put this to the test.

I had the KT Tape applied to my shoulder on Saturday. The any hair was shaved and the skin was cleaned with rubbing alcohol. The tape was applied to help stabilize my right scapula (which is winged) and help assist the deltoids in abduction because they’ve really been working overtime in dealing with the winged scapula.

Anyway, since I had the tape put on, I had taken several showers, ran a 5k, went on a rowing machine (aka: Erg) and rowed 10,000 meters, took a long hot bath after rowing and then, on the 4th day, did a 1-mile swim test.  As you can see from the video below, the tape held up very well. So if you are in the market for some good kinesiology tape, you can’t beat the KT Tape Pro. It comes in rolls of pre-cut 10″ strips and in a variety of really cool colors & black. For clinicians, it comes in a large uncut clinic roll that allows you to cut the lengths you need.  KT Tape also has a cool desktop display dispensor for your office.

Check out the video of my 1-mile swim test. As I write this, I’ve also done another 10k run and showered twice more. It’s still sticking and still has retained its resiliency and function.

1-Mile Swim Test of KT Tape Pro

KT Tape Applied Saturday

After…

4 Showers
1 Hot Shower
Running a 5K
Rowing 10,000 meters on an Erg 
Swimming 1.4 miles &
another shower when I got home…
The KT Tape is still on, holding well and still has its original resilience.  The Swim was Tuesday.

So if you’re looking for some extra support for your posture or need to correct some performance dysfunction or simply want to give your muscle and tendons some assistance through a particular movement – then KT Tape Pro is for you. It’s a great quality product, reasonably priced and best of all, it looks really cool too!

On their web site you’ll even find instructional videos for applying the tape for basic problems. Anything more complex and you’ll want to consult with someone like me.

‘Nuff Said.

Dr. T

Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.

Check out Todd Narson on Facebook

Original Post

Turf Toe Defined -by David J. Micca, DPM, FACFAS, CWS, FCCWS

Turf toe is the term used in sports medicine circles to describe a jamming or impaction injury of the great toe joint (1st metatarsophalangeal joint). Another, more appropriate name for this condition is hallux limitus.

Historically, the term “turf toe” developed due to an increased incidence of 1st MPJ soft tissue injuries in football players wearing flexible cleats allowing hyperextension at the 1st MPJ and jamming of the joint while playing on artificial turf.

Turf toe injuries account for more missed practice and training than ankle sprains, despite occurring less often

Turf toe can be both acutely and chronically disabling if not treated appropriately. In fact, approximately 50% of all patients with hallux limitus (turf toe) have persistent symptoms which include hallux rigidus (severe degenerative joint disease with loss of range of motion of the 1st MPJ), hallux valgus (bunion deformity), chronic capsulitis and/or extensor tendinitis.

Turf toe caused by a direct injury to the joint may or may not obvious initially. The onset of direct injury to the joint may be abrupt, but also may be insidious becoming increasingly more painful as the training progresses.

Turf toe pain will subside with rest only to recur with increased activity

It’s not unusual to see symptoms of turf toe resolve in the off-season only to recur with renewed exercise. This condition is not just associated with sports or training injuries to the 1st MPJ. Some sedentary patients have a biomechanical abnormality which results in jamming of the 1st MPJ with every step. After several years, degenerative changes occur causing a hallux limitus or rigidus.

Many factors have been implicated in the increased incidence of turf toe

These reasons include:

• Direct physical injury to the great toe joint (turf toe) – injury to the articular cartilage or subchondral bone. These injuries may be due impaction injuries or hyperextension/flexion of the first MPJ.
• Functional hallux limitus – biomechanical function that results in metatarsus primus elevatus (congenital elevation of the 1st metatarsal) and subsequent repetitive jamming of the first MPJ.
• Structural hallux limitus – limited range of motion caused by a congenitally long first metatarsal.
• Other conditions – synovitis, crystal deposition diseases such as gout, systemic arthritis, external physical influences such as Dupytren’s contracture, etc. which damage the joint.
• Other structural or biomechanical abnormalities such as: a congenitally flat metatarsal head, hypermobility of the 1st ray/medial column, increased ankle dorsiflexion, flat feet (pes planus).

It’s important to understand that the terms turf toe and hallux limitus are similar but aren’t synonymous. The fundamental difference between the two terms is the patient population that they affect. Turf toe is a term used in athletic circles that refers to an injury of the great toe joint. On the other hand, hallux limitus, refers to a broader, ‘non-athletic’ patient population and need to include all the above listed causes of hallux limitus.

Turf toe is graded in severity ranging from grade 1 through grade 4 depending on the severity of the condition.

Biomechanics of Turf Toe

Normal function of the great toe joint (1st metatarsal phalangeal joint) requires that the 1st metatarsal bone plantarflex (move down) to allow the proximal phalanx to ride up (dorsiflex). This hinge action needs to take place with each step. If the normal range of motion is limited in any way, jamming of the joint will occur and hallux limitus will ensue. There are two known biomechanical factors that contribute to the formation of hallux limitus.

Those factors include:

• A long 1st metatarsal – the relative length of the 1st and second metatarsals is very important in understanding the onset of hallux limitus.
• An elevated 1st metatarsal (metatarsus primus elevatus)- as previously described, plantarflexion of the 1st metatarsal is required for the hallux to ride up onto the 1st metatarsal head. With an elevated 1st metatarsal, the hinge motion is limited and jamming occurs.
• Direct injury to the joint - Impaction injury or hyperextension injury to the great toe joint is often called turf toe. These injuries affect the normal biomechanics of the joint in a number of ways. Turf toe injuries can result in bone contusions, damage to the cartilage surface or interposition of soft tissue or loose bodies within the joint.

Symptoms of Turf Toe

Symptoms include pain with the onset of activity. Swelling and stiffness of the great toe joint increases with activity. Bruising may occur following the initial injury but is not commonly seen as turf toe progresses.

There may be radiating pain if that extends from the 1st MPJ dorsally (top of foot) towards the ankle. This is usually due to a chronic extensor tendinitis/capsulitis. Transfer of the weight to the lateral side of the foot to aid in propulsion and limit 1st MPJ dorsiflexion. Chronic pain to the outside and ball of the foot may ensue as a result of this compensation.

Treatment of Turf Toe

Most turf toe injuries are treated non-surgically. If surgery is performed for this condition it is usually after years of repetitive jamming and destruction of the joint requiring joint replacement surgery. Prevention by addressing the biomechanical influences for turf toe is the key to treating this condition pallitively.

An initial assessment to rule out fractures or dislocations is made. Once ruled out, treatment is geared at protecting the soft tissues and allowing for functional rehabilitation.

1. RICE protocol: Rest and restricted motion at the 1st MPJ. Rigid soled shoes to limit hyperextension during propulsion. Ice during the first 48 hours of injury. Compressive dressing and elevation
2. NSAIDs as an adjunctive therapy to reduce inflammation of the joint
3. Taping of the hallux with a crossing loop over the top of the proximal phalanx to splint the first MPJ and protect the soft tissues while restricting hyperextension
4. Physical therapy modalities such as whirlpool and ultrasound with cold compression to improve motion by actively reducing edema and prevent scarring.
5. Functional orthotic control, more specifically a kinetic wedge orthotic which plantarflexes the 1st ray allowing less jamming at the MPJ
6. HA padding which preloads the hallux also allowing the 1st metatarsal to drop

Is KT Tape an effective treatment?

KT Tape helps to treat turf toe by providing therapeutic stability and support while maintaining a healthy range of motion. It may take up to 4 weeks for the condition to completely subside, but with KT Tape and the following guidelines, you will certainly reduce the amount of time necessary to return to normal activity levels. If symptoms do not subside at all within 12 hours, consider an X-ray to check for fractures.

KT Tape: Turf Toe

With the launch of KT Tape Pro we have a lot of new colors. It will be interesting to see if any of the new colors make the cut on next years list. Did your fav color make this list? Leave a comment and let us know.

KT Tape is highly effective for a large number of various pains and injuries. However, there are a few conditions when KT Tape should not be used.

One of the key benefits KT Tape provides is improvement of fluid circulation in the body. However, there are times when facilitating circulation of fluid could be harmful. In these rare instances KT Tape should not be used. Though the following is a fairly complete list, but should not be considered exhaustive:

1) Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT, or blood clots) – It could be fatal if a clot were to break free and travel to the heart, brain, or lungs. Taping for a clot is very dangerous and should never be done.

2) Renal Insufficiency – If the kidneys are not able to handle the fluid in the body, it is very dangerous to send more fluid back to them. Taping any portion of the body during a state of renal insufficiency creates a risk for kidney failure.

3) Congestive Heart Failure – This is the same idea as renal insufficiency. Moving fluid back to a failing heart can overwork it.

4) Infection – Tape should never be applied in the vicinity of any infection. Moving fluid associated with an infection can cause the infection to spread.

5) Cancer – If cancerous cells are present anywhere in the body, taping can cause the spread of those cells to other areas. Without exception, tape should never be used with malignancies.

As always, if there are any questions or doubt about whether or not KT Tape is an appropriate treatment method, please consult a licensed physician. For more in depth information regarding injury treatment and prevention, please refer to the KT Tape help forum at http://www.kttape.com/forum/.

Information provided by Dr. Cindy Bailey

Welcome to a brand NEW KT Tape Application- not available anywhere else except here on the blog and on our Facebook Fan Page!

SI Joint Pain is described as pain in the lower portion of the back and hip. It may radiate out to the buttocks and lower back. In some cases it travels down the legs.

This application helps to relieve pressure around the SI Joint by proprioceptively sending signals to the nervous system that approximate the sacrum and the pelvis. The pain is decreased by relieving pressure on the joint by gently lifting tissue, increasing blood flow, and creating fascial corrections. Use this for low back pain or pain that radiates down the glutes and the legs.

Let us know what you think of this NEW application by leaving your comments here on the blog or by posting on our Facebook page!

Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) can be a debilitating injury to a runner. The IT band, as it is more commonly known, can become so painful that a runner is unable to train at all. Mark Fadil, the Director of Sports Medicine Institute International (SMI) in Palo Alto, CA, knows this injury both personally and professionally. As a high-school senior, Fadil won the New York state 3,200m championship in 9:10. After one successful collegiate year, Fadil developed pain on the outside of his knee on the fourth day of his sophomore year. He was diagnosed with IT band syndrome and, even though he was receiving regular treatment—including NSAIDs, ultrasound, stretching, and two cortisone injections—the pain progressed to the point that he could not even run a mile. Nine months later, he turned to physiotherapist Gerard Hartman, and after 11 days of deep tissue massage, stretching, and strengthening, he was able to train again, finishing his career at Stanford as a team captain with an 8:50 best in the 3,000m steeplechase.

What It Is, What It Does, What Goes Wrong 

The IT band begins in the hip as the tensor fascia latae muscle and has attachments at the origin from three different muscles: the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and vastus lateralis. The muscle becomes a fibrous band of tissue as it progresses down the thigh, then crosses the knee joint, and inserts along the lateral (outside) portion of the patella (knee cap) and into the tibia (shin) bone on a bump known as Gerdy’s Tubercle. 

The classic symptoms of ITBS are pain along the lateral (outside) aspect of the knee joint, sometimes accompanied by a clicking sensation. The click is a result of the ITB tightening and snapping across the joint during running. The symptoms are often worse when running up or down hills.

ITBS is typically progressive, starting with tightness and often advancing to the point where the pain is debilitating. The traditional view on the cause of this injury has focused on the tightness of the structure and overtraining. There is no doubt that the ITB will become tighter when it is injured. The tightness, however, is more than likely a result of the injury and not the actual cause. The cause of this injury actually lies in the function of the ITB.

The main functions of the ITB are to assist the hip muscles in abduction (outward movement) of the thigh and to stabilize the lateral side of the knee. The ITB is not a strong structure, and if the surrounding muscles have any weakness that can lead to injury and ITB syndrome. Runners are notoriously weak in their hip and core muscles, particularly if strength training or participation in sports that involve side-to-side movement are lacking.

In a study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (July 2000), Dr. Michael Fredericson, a physical medicine MD at Stanford University, compared 24 runners with ITB syndrome with 30 healthy runners and found the injured runners to have statistically significantly weaker hip abductors (mainly gluteus medius and minimus) than the non-injured runners.

Phases of Treatment

Traditional treatment of ITBS has focused mainly on stretching. While stretching plays an important role in the treatment of this injury, there are several other forms of therapy that need to be incorporated.

Given current research, treatment for ITBS should be in phases. The first phase requires a proper diagnosis and the identification of any causative factors. Once this is established, the next phase is aimed at reducing the pain. Rest may have to play a part during this phase, which also may include physical therapy modalities, ice, and stretching three times a day. Cross training that does not aggravate the condition can be done to maintain fitness.

Deep tissue massage along the full length of the ITB can be started in this phase; Dr. Fredericson refers to this as mobilization of the tissues, and it is a necessary step before moving on to the all-important third phase of strengthening the hip and thigh muscles. Fadil recommends very frequent massage: up to every day for elites, and 2 or 3 times per week for recreational runners. If you cannot afford the expense or time of going to a certified massage therapist, a foam roller can work very well for self massage (see www.smiweb.org to obtain rollers).

In Dr. Fredericson’s study, the injured runners were enrolled in a six week standardized rehabilitation protocol with special attention directed to strengthening the gluteus medius. After rehabilitation, the females demonstrated an average increase in hip abductor torque of 34.9 percent in the injured limb, and the males showed an average increase of 51.4 percent. After six weeks of rehabilitation, 22 of 24 athletes were pain free with all exercises and able to return to running, and at a six-month follow-up there were no reports of recurrence.

Exercises for Recovery and Prevention

If your pain has successfully been reduced, the first exercise that can be performed is side leg lifts. Fadil instructs his patients to use a thera-band for strength work. These large rubber bands come in different strengths and can be ordered from any medical supply store, or one with handy clips and cuffs can be purchased at www.tomdrum.com. Detailed instructions and photos of all stretches and exercises are available at Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for Iliotibial Band Syndrome…

To read the entire article, visit Runningtimes.com.

Do you purchase from your local running store?  Online?  Tennis Pro Shop?  Your clinician? Sporting goods stores like Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting Goods?  Or mass retail chains like Walmart or Target?

 Tell us how you buy your KT Tape by posting a “comment” on this blog post, and you will be entered to win!

Also feel free to tell us if there is a store near you that you would like to carry KT Tape (name of store and city/state/country), and we’ll see what we can do to get it there…

Comments will be accepted through Sunday, July 24^th at 11:59 p.m.  Winners WILL be posted on this blog by Wednesday of that week.

Award ceremonies were held at Utah Valley University with Adobe, Silicon, Slopes and InnoVentures sponsoring the event. KT Tape took 9th place overall, and this year’s winners collectively created 800 jobs and $189 million in 2010 revenue.

This is UVEF’s twelfth Top 25 Under Five competition. UVEF has highlighted more than 200 companies through this competition, including Utah success stories like Omniture, Skullcandy and Xango, among many others.

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) is a volunteer non-profit support group linking entrepreneurs to Money, Markets, and Mentors.

Celebrating 22 years of new business success, UVEF empowers current and future business leaders to thrive in today’s competitive market. They provide real-world, practical education and valuable resources on how to access needed capital, attract new customers and tap into industry experts. For information on upcoming meetings, speakers and exclusive membership benefits visit www.uvef.net.

The family business is an American tradition. Some families sell vacuum cleaners, while others maintain law or medical offices for generations. For the Steffens family, the business is water polo.

Sisters Jessica Steffens, 24, and Maggie Steffens, 18, are key players on the two-time defending world champion U.S. women’s water polo team. The top-ranked American squad seeks an unprecedented third consecutive FINA world championship starting Saturday in Shanghai. Jessica and Maggie, playing on the national team together for the first time, represent two in a long line of water polo-playing Steffens family members.

It starts with their father, Carlos, who caught a “fever” for the sport after seeing his first water polo match as a child in Puerto Rico. Years later, legendary Cal coach Pete Cutino recruited Steffens. He left Puerto Rico and became a three-time All-American at Berkeley, leading the Golden Bears to the 1977 NCAA championship.

The family tradition continues with their uncle, Peter Schnugg, a two-time All-American at Cal in the 1970s, and too many water polo-playing Schnugg cousins to count.

Carlos met his wife, Peggy, Peter’s sister, through water polo. There’s also Jessica and Maggie’s brother, Charlie, 22, the Cal water polo team captain, and sister, Teresa, 20, who competed for the Golden Bears before leaving to focus on her academics.

For the Steffens family, water polo is a way of life. While raising his children, Carlos would use water polo metaphors to explain everyday situations, like driving lessons or playing dominos with the family. The siblings have followed suit.

“I find myself doing that now,” Charlie said. “I know when I get together with Jess — we were driving in the car the other day looking for a parking spot — and she was saying that getting that perfect parking spot on the street after you have been looking for it for a long time is like that goal after you have been in a slump. Just really random things like that get related to water polo.”

It wasn’t always that way, especially for Jessica, a valuable utility player who is back with the national team after missing all of 2010 due to a shoulder injury. Growing up in Danville, Calif., she excelled in soccer and swimming before switching to water polo in high school.

“I did not want to play water polo,” Jessica said. “I had seen a few videos of it, and I just thought it was way too complicated and crazy. I knew that my dad had played it, and for some reason I was just like, “Oh, it’s too much.’ “

That attitude started to change when she entered Monte Vista High School.

“It was really surprising to see her pick up water polo because she was really successful at all these other sports,” Charlie said. “[Once she tried water polo], it sort of exploded and kept improving every year.”

One Olympic silver medal from Beijing and a stellar NCAA career at Stanford later, Jessica seems to have adapted quite well to the family sport. She hopes to add a world championship and an Olympic gold to the family legacy.

For Maggie, who, in the position of attacker, faces some of the roughest action in the pool, playing water polo was a natural fit. With three older siblings and a whole mess of cousins already on board, she jumped into the pool at an early age and demonstrated skill and a fiery competitive nature. But she was never forced into playing the family game.

“We all kind of started right around the same time, and my dad obviously had so much experience playing water polo,” Maggie said. “So we kind of just jumped right into it, and once I started playing and having the feel for the competition of it, I started growing a passion for the sport, then it just kept growing and growing.”

At 18, Maggie will compete for her first world championship and has committed to Stanford. Despite coming from a family of Golden Bears, she will be the second Steffens child to play for the Cardinal.

Their father has made peace with his daughters’ decisions to play for the respected rival, knowing it was the school that was best for them and where they could be the most successful. It’s yet another way for the sisters to express their desire to compete.

“The strengths for both of them is their competitive drive and their determination to achieve their goals,” U.S. women’s water polo head coach Adam Krikorian said. “Whether it’s academically or athletically, they are both extremely competitive and determined individuals. You can see that certainly, and that comes out as soon as they touch the water – it’s like a magnifying glass.”

The sisters’ similarities extend outside the water as well.

“They have similar mannerisms,” Krikorian said. “I give them both a hard time. I think they’re both fairly goofy and pretty funny at times to laugh at, not necessarily laugh with. But you can tell the respect and love and admiration they have for one another is certainly second to none.”

That Maggie and Jessica will play together on the national team for the first time is the source of great pride for the Steffens family, particularly their father, who taught them the game.

“My kids are on the way to do better than me, not just in sports,” Carlos said. “Once you taste that flavor of being among the best in the world, in whatever you do, that taste will never be forgotten, and you want that and that’s basically what I was trying to teach my kids. I taught them the passion of the sport and what the sport’s life is like.”

To read the entire article, visit ESPN.com.

Wade took two trips to the locker room to have his injury checked out during the game, and seemed to be favoring his hip throughout the remaining quarters.  Hopefully his trainer knows about the KT Tape Hip Applications!   Marc Stein on ESPN.com reports:

As for how badly Wade is hurt heading into Sunday, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said: “Way too early [to know]. We’ll have to see how it responds tomorrow. When he’s able to sweat and keep it warm, he was fine. Fortunately we have an extra day. We’ll see if that’s enough.”

The Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki was also injured earlier in the series- he could have used the KT Tape Finger Jam application for an injury to the tendon in his left-middle finger.  However, Nowitzki seems be suffering no ill-effects from that pain as the leading scorer for the Mavericks last night. 

Watch the outcome of Dwayne Wade’s injury for yourself when the Heat host the Mavericks for NBA Game 6 in Miami this Sunday!

In this episode of The Counter Attack, three time Olympian and current UC-Santa Barbara Head Coach Wolf Wigo talks about his recent selection to the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, his early days in water polo in New York City, what keeps him playing these days, and his foray into broadcasting.

To listen to The Counter Attack, click here.  Enjoy!