Benefits of Kinesiology Tape By Chris Gorden
I think most of us can agree that repetition in wrestling is paramount for on the mat success. Often times this sport puts us, as coaches, in a position where we must either remove our wrestler from practice or competition, or “patch them up” and have them complete the activity. In the weight room injuries can slow progression in training volume and skill development, especially for lifts like the clean and jerk, power clean, snatch, and power snatch. In the practice room a wrestler may miss important technique repetition, and good old fashioned wrestling endurance, if they are forced to sit out because they are hurt or injured. In the heat of competition their ability to focus on the match versus the injury discomfort, and it can mean the difference between winning or losing. Kinesiology tape can be a very useful tool to add short term stability of the joint and surrounding muscles.
Wrestlers training during the off-season, especially those who compete year round, must manage injuries during conditioning, and on the mat. Depending on the severity of the injury, the conditioning coach can write a separate program with a focus on rehabilitation of the injured area; it’s always a good idea to consult with their physical therapist and/or physician, whenever possible, for suggestions and clearance. This training modification allows them to recover, while still keeping them on track with the rest of the team’s off-season program. Again, repetition is key to progression on the mat, or in the weight room.
By keeping them actively training and still watching the technique portion of wrestling practice they will stay involved, and at minimum, they will still gain the knowledge portion of practice and stay up to speed on the teams wrestling progressions. It will also keep them muscularly strong while they rehab from injury. The golden rule of injury rehab is for the affected muscle group to be stronger than it was prior to injury. Kinesiology tape can help with abnormal tracking of the knee for example, using one I strip and one Y strip over the point of the patella, allows the athlete to strength train more pain free. For pectoral and shoulder strains common from posting, bridging and building a base etc., it can be managed using one I and one Web cut strip. Even lower back discomfort from simply holding a wrestling stance, can be reduced with two I cut strips applied.
In competition this can be a little more tricky because you have to assess the injury and treat it all while being on an injury clock. I can only speak for myself but these are the moments where my stress levels are at their highest, and I need to do everything possible to keep my head. In most situations, I have to make some very quick decisions on what’s best for my athlete in that particular situation, so I always want to plan for the worst and be able to maximize the time I have to hopefully make the right decision. I very much believe in health over hardware, but wrestlers are warriors and want to compete, and in many cases there is a lot riding on their ability to do so.
First thing is to be prepared; a couple good tips is to have knee, shoulder and wrist taping instructions minimized on your clipboard for a quick reference. Also keep an anatomy app on your phone/tablet so you can help the wrestler quickly point to where the origin of the injury is located. This will help assess whether to continue or remove the wrestler from further activity. If you have two coaches in the corner, have one monitor the time left on the injury clock while giving updates for each minute that goes by. Also kinesiology tape will not stick to a sweaty athlete, so have both a towel to dry the skin off and adhesive spray on hand. This will ensure that the tape doesn’t come right off when activity resumes. You only have two injury stoppages, or five minutes of injury time to work with- use that time wisely.
Wrist injuries typically need one I and one Y strip. Elbows need one I and one Y strip. Shoulders need one donut hole, two I and one Y strip. Ribs need one I strip. Knees need one I, two Y, and one Fan cut. Ankles, need one I strip for lateral ankle sprain, two I strips for Plantar Fasciitis, and one Fan cut for Achilles Tendonitis. Hips/Back need two I strips. Neck needs one I strip and Elbow Bursa needs one Donut hole cut. It is important to anchor the tape at the correct point with an average of 15-20% tension. Another good tip is to apply friction by quickly moving two fingertips to create friction to the tape rapidly, as you apply tension. This helps the adhesive stick to the skin, especially at the anchor points. This will help ensure the injured area has some level of stability, and protection, to hopefully allow the wrestler to continue on while minimizing or eliminating risk of further injury.
There is limited data to support the use of kinesiology tape and some consider it to be the placebo effect, so take this with a grain of salt. But for years now, I have used it not only for my wrestlers’ injuries, but for my own as well. From my own personal experience, as I have gotten older, I get injured far more often than when I was still a much younger athlete, and most of the time that extra layer of defense and joint stability has allowed me to stay on the mat with my wrestlers vs coaching from the sidelines–where I am less effective. I encourage anybody reading this to do your own research so you can make an informed decision on whether KT tape is beneficial for your program or not, and always confer with medical professionals and athletic trainers first whenever possible.
Chris Gorden (775)342-9564 cgorden0117@gmail.com