The Tape From Heaven

So yesterday as I was preparing to get off shift at the fire department, I did something very stupid. I went to jump up onto the step to climb some stairs to the day room....and missed and slammed my leg into the ground straining my calf. All day yesterday and today I've had a burning nagging pain in the center of the meat of my lateral gastrocnemius, on the outside of the calf which was a rather weird place but still. It's been bugging me all day, not while walking but when changing directions. I've been heat/ice rotating, PRICE following, and I even made today a rest day to avoid aggravating the injury further. None of which helped AT ALL.

Enter the ever helpful father-in-law. My father-in-law suffers from an incessant calf spasm issue which makes it difficult for his run to be its best, so I noticed a long time ago he applies some weird multi-patterned tape to his calf every few days. When I asked, I found out its called kinesiology tape.

Virtually unheard of until the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kinesiology tape is the latest craze in physical therapy. But unlike PT, it's readily available in a Wal-Mart near you! (If you can't tell, my town quite literally only has a Wal-Mart. That and one sports store. But that's pretty much all the sports supply.) KT Tape Pro is the most readily available in the line and it's priced at a sweet $17 for a roll of 20 strips. Factor in that a properly applied strip will last several days (through showering) and you've got quite the bargain there. I decided to test it on this calf strain.

Step One: The Purchase

This is what came in the box with the jet black, KT Tape Pro I purchased. A roll of tape strips, a clear carrying case, a decal (COOL!), and a set of instructions.

Step Two: The Shaving of the Legs

I am one of the very few triathletes who does not shave their legs. Chest, underarms, face sure! But not legs. It's some of the last hair I have left. But the tape adheres better when shaved, so using the same clipper set my wife buzz cuts my hair with, I proceeded to shave the portion of my calf. After going over it with my razor, my calf is now smooth as a baby's butt.

Step Three: The Application

The Wal-Mart brand tape proved to not be pre-perforated in the center for Y-stripping, so I had to cut it with scissors down the center but that wasn't too big a pain. I followed the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XTxAREiYFE !

So, I located the center of the pain, a small burning dot in my calf, stretched the muscle out, and proceeded to thank god that I've done yoga because holding that stretch and applying the tape was a royal pain. I applied the tape (just one strip necessary), rubbed it down to generate heat (I screwed up shaving one edge so it peeled up but still works!) and then jogged around the room to test it out. And you know what ?

PAIN FREE! I'm too cynical to say 100% but I haven't felt a twinge yet so 100% WHOOH! I love KT Tape! This stuff is working great for me! I highly recommend every triathlete rush out to Wal-Mart for a roll! It's much cheaper than paying for a regular physical therapist and if you follow the videos online, you'll be able to train just as normal as before your injuries!