Hi, was just wondering if anyone has had any positive/negative experiences of using Rock Tape? Having had knee pain for a couple of weeks, (which seems to be symptomatic with runners knee) this has been recommended by a few people.
Any thoughts for or against will be appreciated
Cheers
Jamie
Yes, I have. Well, not the exact brand rock tape, but what we call kinesio tape.
I have a torn medial meniscus on my right knee, which causes tracking problems and I do tape up my knee for racing and strenuous training sessions on the bike. If I want to do any walking or running I have to tape it up as well. The tape actively supports the knee and helps the ligaments do its job where they otherwise would not. It is a fairly gentle support system. It also increases bloodflow to the area, which is helpful for healing and performance, as it lessens fatigue. Unlike other taping methods, kinesio tape is soft and flexible so you don't actually fix anything in place forcing it to do something. It just helps what is already there. You also leave it on for a few days. I typically apply it the day before a race and leave it on for a couple of days after to aid recovery.
There are plenty of video's around on youtube and the Rocktape website to show you how to tape a knee. It is a good idea though to have a proper diagnosis first, as there are quite a lot of other things to do first if you have knee problems. Not the least some exercises for 'mal tracking patella' as you assume it is...
PM me if you want to 'talk' through a proper diagnosis and some exercises if you like.
Originally Posted by Rug125
“the cause of my pain, was the cause of my cure” Rumi
Hi
Just for the information of anyone reading this thread who is interested, I tried the tape, after watching the application video on their website and it worked a treat. Wednesday evening did a hard interval session and didn't feel a thing then this morning a medium paced 10k and still nothing.
The premise of the tape is just to 'keep things where they should be' and certainly does that.
Cheers
I use it, and apply it in my clinic - I know it works...read about it here...http://runningdelights.blogspot.co.u...in-action.html
I think the fact that so many top level athletes use it, including olympians and Team GB goes to show that it must do something
Hi Cyclops,
So would you recommend I use it indefinitely? Or maybe continue usage for a certain period of time/number of runs, then try again without using it?
I use it on and off, as my patellar-femoral syndrome (runners knee) due to torn meniscus flares up. It seems to go on and off, largely related to my stretching discipline I hasten to ad!
“the cause of my pain, was the cause of my cure” Rumi
It really depends why you're using the tape. For rehab purposes, or to assist with developing proprioception I'd say it should be used as needed, but not for long periods - so you don't become reliant on it. Just like when you badly sprain an ankle - a support/brace can be (though not always) useful in the short term, but you wouldn't want to wear it indefinitely.
If you're putting rocktape on in the 'powertaping' type application - for example to help prevent fatigue, or as Olympic athletes use it to potentially gain an additional % over their competitors, then I'd only recommend using it for specific events/sessions. I use it in this way on long runs, as I have a tendency to get knee pain at the 20km+ mark - with Rocktape on I can get myself to 25km+.
Does that make sense?
Very much so, thanks for the input. I'll use the next coupe of weeks as testing, running with and without the tape over different types of session to see what the results are.
Cheers
best of luck - try various ways of applying the tape, and remember that some of the muscles/soft tissues around the knee joint also cross the hip/ankle/foot joints - this can be reflected in how you tape, depending on what structures in/around yr knee you have problems with. Let us know how you get on.
Again, for any interested in the whole taping phenomenon, here is a good article on the basics from running times
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=26076
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