KT Tape Junkie

Hi.  My name is Gen, and I am a KT Tape Junkie.  I wasn’t always this way.  It came on gradually, but now I’m at the point that whenever I have any kind of ache or pain, I reach for a roll.  The rolls I use these days are the professional strength ones and are usually pink and purple in color, but I have also used black, blue and red.

One of my fabulous wrap
jobs on an ankle sprain

My addiction probably started in middle school.  Gymnastics is hard on growing bodies, and I was already one of those kids that had not only growing pains, but was prone to overdoing it.  If the coach said to do it ten times, I did it twenty.  Needless to say, I put my body through the wringer.  (Sound familiar?)  I suffered several sprains and one fracture during my middle school years.  I was a pro at wrapping ACE bandages around ankles or wrists.  The ACE bandage became my gateway drug.

In high school, I moved on to cheerleading and soccer.  I continued to push my body and had the injuries to prove it, spraining my ankles or hurting my knees more times than I can remember.  I had graduated to taping by that point in addition to using my old standby, the ACE bandage.  By my junior year, my soccer coach was using almost a whole roll of athletic tape to tape both of my ankles before each game.  I spent one whole football season cheering with my knee wrapped and taped up.  Back then; physical therapy and strengthening were for pro athletes or for rich kids who went to private schools that could afford to hire a real trainer.  I was neither, just a public school kid with an addiction to sport and taping.

During my young adult years, my addiction waned.  I was more focused on school and starting a career than pushing my body to the limits.  After that, came babies and tending to their needs.  So, despite being active, I was relatively injury-free. 

And then came triathlon and marathon training…

Knee taped before the
Nashville Marathon

I got my first taste of KT Tape in a goody bag from some race several years ago.  I’d been getting by with just taping and wrapping my injuries with my old standbys, an ACE bandage and white athletic tape.  KT Tape was different.  It was stretchy and came in cool colors.  It was less bulky than my ACE bandages.  It didn’t leave a sticky white residue like the athletic tape.  It was more versatile than both.

I don’t remember when I tried the KT Tape for the first time, but I know once I tried it, I was hooked.  I started out slowly, using it here and there for minor muscle pulls or strains.  And then came cancer.  The barrage of injuries brought on by training through chemo caused a huge ramping up in my KT Tape use.  Now, I’m to the point where I’ve used it on my legs, back, arms, even my butt to ease muscle pain and strain. 

My latest taping

Some people have scoffed at my use of KT Tape.  Perhaps it is just a placebo effect, but I really do think it helps ease the pain and helps my muscles heal.  I don’t use it alone though.  I compliment my use of KT Tape with physical and massage therapy as well as icing, stretching and strengthening.  I’ve also had to make some adjustments in how I work out.  Case in point: I run a lot more on the treadmill now instead of on the pavement to reduce the wear and tear on my knees.

Most people, when faced with chronic injuries would just bag the whole thing - quit cold turkey or switch sports.  I am not “most people”.  I love to run.  I really really like the sport of triathlon.  So, I continue to train and to get injured and to use my KT Tape Pro. 

Like Vanilla Ice said, “Will it ever stop?  I don’t know.” 

My favorite color of KT Tape

Perhaps I should just stick with “Ice, Ice, Baby.” 

Want to try out KT Tape for yourself?  Here's the link: http://www.kttape.com/.  You can also buy KT Tape at most major sporting goods store or on Amazon.  

Need help figuring out just how to use KT Tape?  You can find great instructional videos on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/.