How to Train and Recover Like an Olympian: Kinesio Tape & Cupping

Did you watch the Olympics?

Whether it’s volleyball, gymnastics, archery, tennis or a track event, you may have seen some of the athletes with tape on various parts of their bodies. Some have it on their shoulders, some on their back, and still others have it on their feet, calves or even near their abdomen.

You might have wondered: What exactly is that tape for?

The strips of tape you see on athletes’ bodies is actually what’s called Kinesio tape, or kinesio tex tape. This kind of tape—also just called KT tape—is made up of elastic fibers, and it can be applied to the skin to help support the lymphatic, neural, muscular and fascial systems.

More than 40 years ago, a doctor created the tape to help support the work he was doing with his patients. He created a kind of tape that had the ideal amount of adhesive so that it would stay on patients’ bodies while they moved or exercised. Fast-forward to today and it is used to support alignment, for rehabilitation, for pain, and also during competition.

While it’s difficult to know why each Olympic athlete is using the kinesio tape method, you can bet that they are trying to add a bit of support to their soft tissue that may be over-worked. In other cases, it is likely they are supporting muscles that have been strained or injured at some point in their training. You can imagine just how much these athletes train year-round, so they are willing to try a variety of methods that support improved mobility, better performance, and faster recovery.

Tape that Mimics Our Skin

In many ways, the tape you see athletes using actually mimics our skin, so after applying, people can use KT tape to further support their muscles or in some cases, limit muscle movement in those areas. When combined with treatments including chiropractic, physical therapy and stretching, kinesio tape can be used for preventative measures and to provide benefit to the circulatory system and our ligaments, tendons and joints…and not just for world-class athletes!

Cupping Therapy

Besides the tape you see on athletes, you’ve also probably noticed the large, circular bruises you see on them, especially common with the swimmers. This is a cupping technique—centuries old—which is used as a functional soft tissue therapy. One simple way of thinking about is that it’s the opposite of massage, which would be a compression therapy. With cupping therapy, the suction of the cups increases blood flow and helps to release tight myofascial tissue through decompression forces. The athletes we see on TV are likely using it to also relieve tension and for optimal recovery.

Improve Your Health at Cincinnati Rehabilitation Center

Want to know more about these and other treatments that are safe and effective ways of helping the body naturally heal? Call us today at 513.772.9065.

Hidden Sugars?

Did you set a New Year’s Resolution this year? If so, there is a good chance your resolution may have had something to do with eating healthier. Even if you didn’t, it still might be on your mind.

Taking a Closer Look at Your Sugar Intake

It’s always a good idea to follow the guidelines and recommendations Dr. Bradford normally provides you when it comes to nutrition, but generally speaking, we talk about focusing on low-glycemic index foods that are high in nutrients. We also encourage hydration and eating anti-inflammatory foods that provide ample energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Avoiding sugar-sweetened foods and drinks is in alignment with this approach. The problem is that sometimes, processed hidden sugar can be found in foods we’re eating— like sauces or even salad dressing—and we aren’t aware of it.

When we talk about sugar, we’re referring to sucrose/table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or even honey or fruit sugars. With our desire to find sustainable nutrition habits that we can have for the long-term, many of us want to cut down on our sugar intake—and most notably, that includes white sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages.  Just think: a 20 ounce pop has 16 teaspoons of sugar!

Yes, sugar is in nutrient-rich foods including beets and sweet potatoes, to name just two, but the area where we encourage you to cut back is when sugar has been added to foods during processing.

Keep these four facts in mind:

·      Too much sugar can mean your body is not getting the nutrients it needs. That’s because sugar contains calories that lack nutrient value;

·      When sugar is consumed in large amounts it can result in insulin resistance (1) and it can also result in craving more food;

·      Inflammation in the body occurs with elevated blood sugar levels, and that happens with overconsumption of sugar;

·      Sugar can contribute to fat gain and metabolic issues over time.

“How Do I Even Know What Sugar Is In My Food?”

The term “sugar” refers to different compounds, which is where some of the confusion can sometimes start. We recognize the following as sugars: brown sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar or confectioner’s sugar. These are more straightforward when it comes to avoiding them because those labels make it clear that they are….well, sugar!

But lately, more attention has come to other forms of sugar that are bit less obvious. Those that have received a bit more attention include sugar labeled as high fructose corn syrup or rice syrup, among other variations. But the list doesn’t stop there.

Many times, a good rule of thumb is that ingredients in your food that end in “-ose” are going to be a form of sugar.  See the list below from the Whole 9 Life’s website on more than ten other names for sugar in your food, including:

·      Dextrose

·      Disaccharide

·      Fructose

·      Glucose

·      Galactose

·      Lactose

·      Maltodextrin

·      Maltose

·      Monosaccharide

·      Polysaccharide

·      Ribose

·      Saccharose

·      Sucrose (2)

(Taken directly from Whole 9 Life.)
 
When you see these on a food label, just know that sugar has in fact been added.

Sugar is Sugar

You don’t have to cut out all (added) sugar from your diet and set yourself up to fail.

If you don’t know where to start, try to cut back on beverages with added sugar. You can also look to control any sugar cravings by eating fruit.

When you have a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet, you don’t have to constantly worry about the (added) sugars in your food. Over time, your pallet will also adjust and you won’t need food to be quite so sweet. Ask us for more information so we can help you find a diet with low-glycemic index foods (where your blood sugar levels positively respond after consuming such foods) that can help you naturally avoid many added sugars.

Sources/References

1.     http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-2-5 

2. http://whole9life.com/2010/06/sugar-sugar-sugar/

The Connection Between Posture, Your Neck & Your Health

No matter if you’ve come to us for relief care, corrective care or ongoing wellness care, you’ve heard us talk about your spinal health. In particular, one of the first things we tell our patients about is the health of their cervical curve.

Located in your neck area, the cervical curve is where the first seven vertebrae of your spine are located. A healthy cervical curve would resemble a “C” shape, but as we place stress on the body—both major stressors such as trauma to the neck and incremental stressors—we can lose this optimal and natural curve.

Across the spectrum of neck curvatures, we see the following:

·      Lordotic: This state is the “C” shaped curvature that is your natural, desired and healthy curvature in the neck, which is about 42 degrees when standing upright.

·      Hypolordotic or Alordotic: This state is where you have a decreased curve or no curve, as reflected in an X-ray.

·      Reverse Curve or Kyphotic: This state is when the neck is curving in the opposite direction of your natural and intended curvature.

·      “S” Curve: Having an “S” curve means your spine has both a lordotic and kyphotic curve.

Our Natural Neck Curve: Holding & Transferring Stress Throughout the Body

Your neck has a “C” shaped curve so that it can absorb and manage forces we experience throughout the day. In a healthy spine, we’re able to efficiently reduce the stress that is placed on our spinal joints on a daily basis.

For people without a lordotic curve, they often experience headaches or migraines. That’s in part because when we lose our ideal shape in our neck it can result in increased stress in the neck, upper back and head. The natural curve in your neck is what allows for “shock absorption” to reduce the stress to those areas. 

The discs can also begin to lose their overall integrity, wear out or degenerate quicker. They are not able to receive as much nutrition from our blood, which keeps them healthy, and in turn they become more susceptible to injuries. Holding an increased amount of weight, our discs can then get worn out, dehydrated, and injured more easily, increasing the odds of a bulge or herniation.  

At the same time, the Central Nervous System, as it runs through the spinal column, gets pulled and stretched in ways that also cause pain. This can cause pain to radiate or travel into the arms or legs and other areas. The good news is that through corrective treatments, including chiropractic, and improving our posture, we can work to restore an optimal curve in our neck.

What Can You Do To Restore a Healthy Curve in Your Neck?

Now that you are ready to start being more mindful of your posture, here are a few of the top ways to improve or maintain your posture:

1. If you haven’t already, visit your chiropractor for an exam and possible X-ray to discover the current health of your spine. Dr. Bradford will walk you through an approach that can examine your spine, your nervous system, and other major factors of your health to identify, correct, improve—or maintain—your overall health.

We like to point out that not all our patients are experiencing pain or health ailments when they visit us; in fact, many come because they want to maintain wellness, improve performance and longevity and continue to encourage habits that help them reduce the likelihood of injury.

2. Take time out to examine your posture throughout the day. Examine your posture while standing, sitting, driving and even evaluate your posture when you sleep.

3. Don’t forget to stay hydrated. When focusing on improving posture, don’t forget about water or other nutrient-packed sources of hydration. Part of the big picture is that your body does require water to maintain soft tissue elasticity and the optimal amount of fluid in your joints.

4. Consider replacing or adjusting how you wear your purse. If your bag is heavy (say, more than 10 pounds for the average person), it can add unnecessary stress to your body, and it can also cause your spine to curve over time. If you wear a purse or bag on the same shoulder each day, your body may be elevating that shoulder to compensate as it carries your bag. Over time this can lead to asymmetry in your posture. At the very least, aim to make your purse less heavy, and switch sides if you can’t avoid using a single-strap purse.

5. Check for proper posture when standing by taking advantage of a mirror. In front of your mirror, face your body sideways and see how it feels to have your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles aligned. Ensure your shoulders are not rounded and your back is not arched. Consider starting each day this way to serve as a bit of a benchmark to remind yourself of what it feels like to have proper posture when you stand.

6. Ask your Chiropractor to give you feedback on your sleep posture. It’s not ideal to sleep on your stomach, so try to avoid doing so for the health of your neck and back. Talk to us about your particular sleep position(s) so we can evaluate how this is affecting your posture. 

Maintaining Proper Posture Is Not Easy!

Working on having proper posture is an ongoing effort. Schedule an appointment with us today if you’d like to learn more about what you can do to improve the health of your spine, including how we can help you setup your workspace to be ergonomically optimized.