Tape It Up

Good morning folks!!

I hope that your week is going well so far!

I had a mini-meltdown at work yesterday. I felt like we were making progress with my mother in law last week, but she was moved to another floor over the weekend and it seems like all progress has come to a grinding halt. Well, that is not acceptable. In my opinion, it is neglect and I made no bones about telling them just what I thought!  I think that I got my point across and I think they got it! At least I hope they did! Because they haven't seen anything yet! If they think that I was harsh yesterday, they have another think coming. I try very hard not to be "that family member" but sometimes it's hard not to be. I know how I would care for her if she were my patient and I expect them to take care of her just like I would. It's really not too much to ask!  And no, I don't think my expectations are too high. So, we'll see how everything goes today. I'm not afraid to escalate my concerns if need be. She deserves good care!! I feel sorry for patients that have no one to advocate for them.

Last week was a little frustrating for me regarding my workouts. Tuesday morning I woke up with terrible pain in my right shoulder and neck. Here's what you may not know, I've had arthritis in my cervical spine since age 26. At that time, I was experiencing constant pain in my neck and shoulder. I had several steroid injections. It would get better for a while but it would always come back. Finally, my PCP referred me to an ortho doc who did an assessment and informed me that my problem was chronic and there was nothing to do for it. I took anti-inflammatories for a while and learned to live with it. Usually it doesn't bother me but every once in a while, it rears it's ugly head and I'm miserable for a few days. And that's what happened last week. I still have full range of motion but I can't really move it comfortably. I don't want to do anything to exacerbate the problem, so I didn't do any strength training last week. I use ibuprofen to help decrease the inflammation and alternate heat/ice until it goes away. But last week, I tried something a little different to see if I could get it under control more quickly.

I've been a firm believer in kinesio tape for a long time now. It's helped my get through several injuries and has kept me running, maybe even when I shouldn't have been. I've been using a cotton tape lately with good results but was contacted by KT Tape recently. They offered to send me samples of their PRO synthetic kinesio tape. Well sure, I'm happy to try it!!  So I grabbed some tape and applied it to my shoulder. I put it on Wednesday and was finally able to move it comfortably on Saturday. I think that it definitely helped my shoulder pain.

Kinesio tape is an elastic sports and fitness tape designed for muscle, ligament and tendon pain relief and support. It is lightweight, comfortable to wear and can be used for hundreds of common injuries. It is applied along muscles, ligaments and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, external support that helps people remain active while recovering from injuries. Think of it as a flexible version of a brace or splint. It supports sore muscles and joints without the bulk or limiting the body's natural movement. It is lightweight and comfortable to wear so it won't slow you down. It creates neuromuscular feedback (proprioception) and inhibits (relaxes) or facilitates stronger firing of muscles and tendons.

I've been taped many times by my chiropractor, so I've learned some techniques from him. I would recommend that you see a doctor to diagnose any nagging injuries. But, if you've been diagnosed and are looking for treatment options, check out KT Tape. Their website is very informative and has general information regarding kinesio tape as well as instructional videos for many common sports injury. I used the recommended taping while recovering from my Achilles tendonitis and I'm convinced that it helped me get back to running without pain faster.

KT Tape comes in 2 varities: the original is made up of reinforced cotton fibers and provides up to 3 days of support. The PRO version is made from a specially engineered, durable synthetic fiber that provides 4-7 days of support and is water proof. KT Tape is available at major sporting goods retailers, drug stores and more than 25,000 retail/clinical locations in the US, Canada, and more than 30 countries worldwide. For a list of retailers and instructional videos,  visit www.kttape.com. Follow @KTTape on Twitter. You can even tweet them pictures to make sure you've got the right application! And see success stories on the KT Tape Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kttape

This is a sponsored post. KT Tape provided me the product free of charge to try out. All opinions are my own.

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving! Whatever you choose today, remember to be awesome!!

Your friend,

Theresa