Featured Application: Rib Pain

Rib pain can be a real hassle to deal with.  Wraps can be uncomfortable and often too bulky to wear underneath your clothing.  Sleeping is also a feat.  Luckily for anyone dealing with rib pain, KT Tape has an application to help with this type of injury.  From the KT Tape website: The body has twelve sets of ribs that go from near the neck down almost to the hip bones.  They wrap around the torso to protect and contain the lungs and the heart, along with many other vital organs.  There are muscles in between each rib that hold each in place, maintain spacing, and allow for expansion in order to breathe. Ribs can become bruised, broken, separated, and the muscles can be pulled or torn.  Broken or fractured ribs cannot be put into a cast or immobilized like other bones of the body and can cause a great deal of pain due their role in the necessary act of breathing.  Most rib injuries are left to heal on their own with little intervention.  In some cases, as with muscle tears or separation, immobilization with special belts is used to allow for proper healing. As mentioned, it’s difficult to treat rib injuries with much other than rest and ice.  KT Tape can be helpful in relieving pain and partially stabilizing the muscles and bones.  Due to the properties of KT Tape, the ribs remain flexible enough to allow for breathing, but excess motion is alleviated and increased blood flow is encouraged.  Though ribs are going to be painful when injured in any case, KT Tape can help reduce that pain and provide a unique support system to promote the healing process. For video instructions on how to tape for rib pain visit the instruction page of the KT Tape website here.