[music}
I'm Chris Harper, and with me is Melissa,
and we're here to demonstrate an application for achilles tendonitis.
The achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body,
connecting the calf muscles to the heel.
Some causes may be due to overuse, which may cause inflammation in the tendon or muscle,
or trauma causing strain or tearing in the tendon or muscle.
KT Tape helps treat this condition by increasing circulation and support.
For this application, we need to have the ankle in full dorsiflexion,
or whatever is available in a relatively pain free position,
which is pulling the toes towards the shin.
Okay, and for this application, we're going to take one full piece,
tearing the paper backing to create an anchor point.
We're going to apply that anchor point just ahead of the heel on the arch of the foot,
and then peeling that paper back, we're going to pull about fifty percent of tension.
So if you pull the tape all the way out, that's one hundred percent,
and then backing that off halfway is fifty percent.
What we're going to do is go around the heel and up the achilles tendon,
and we're going to stick the end of that tape, the anchor,
with absolutely zero stretch.
Go ahead and rub the remaining portion of the tape down against the skin, just to get
some good adhesion through there.
Okay, and for our second piece,
we'll take another long strip, but this one we're going to cut in half.
So were going to fold that, and cut rounded corners around that fold.
What this does is help prevent any catching of sharp corners on clothing
taking socks on and off.
We're going to twist and tear the paper backing to create
a middle section of the tape, leaving some anchors to hang on to with the paper.
We're applying nice even pressure with the thumbs.
Okay, what we're going to do is to place this over the point of pain,
In this case, this may be where the achilles inserts on the heel,
laying that down with about eighty percent stretch,
And then just taking that paper backing off and just laying the anchors of the tape down
with absolutely zero stretch.
And while we're doing this, we're going to make sure that ankle stays in full available
dorsiflexion,
again, pulling those toes up towards the shin.
In some cases, the pain may be up higher on the tendon,
in that case you can use another piece, just like with the first half piece,
tearing the paper backing and stretching that out to eighty percent with nice even pressure
with the thumbs,
and applying that over another possible area of pain, possibly higher up in the tendon.
So laying that down with eighty percent stretch, and you're going to peel that paper
backing off and just lay those ends down with absolutely zero stretch.
Okay, very good.
From here, you can go ahead and relax the ankle.
Some tips before applying this are to shave or trim any hair that may alter the adhesion
of the tape.
Also, clean the skin very well to remove any skin oils or lotions to create better adhesion.
Also, you can wear a sock to sleep to prevent rolling of the tape on the sheets.
Please seek care if you have any excessive pain, persistence of symptoms, or excessive
swelling.
Complementary treatments may include ice, rest, or anti-inflammatory medications such
as ibuprofen.
For more information, please see our website at www.KTTape.com