KT Tape: Rotator Cuff

Hi, I'm Chris Harper and with me is John, and we're here to explain an application for rotator cuff. This is when you have pain among the muscles in the shoulder that are responsible for shoulder rotation and stability Some causes of this may be overuse, tears, motion beyond your normal limits, or poor throwing form KT tape helps treat this condition by providing support and stability, relieving pressure to reduce pain, and may increase circulation For this application I'm going to have you turn to your side a little bit so we can see And we'll take a piece of tape, one full strip and we're going to twist and tear the backer paper down near the logo end the tape And go ahead and remove that but we're going to be careful not to touch the adhesive on the tape. I'm just handling it with the paper and to find where we need to place this you can feel the bony prominence on the top of the shoulder, if you just drop off that so you feel a soft spot, that's going to be where the top edge of the tape will be placed so I'm going to place this just on the side and slightly in front of the shoulder with absolutely zero stretch And I'll lay that down and create a little friction so it's adhered well I'm going to then peel the paper back but still handling the tape with the paper I'm going to go just below the bony prominence on the back of the shoulder now the ridge of bone that is your shoulder blade I'm going to stretch this tape twenty-five percent, so I'm going to pull it all the way out and then back it off fifty percent, and then fifty percent again and I'm going to go ahead and lay that down and I'm placing that just so it doesn't cross the spine. Now that last little bit I applied with absolutely zero stretch. So zero stretch, twenty five percent and then zero stretch again and John's also tipping his head away to stretch the skin above the shoulder to make sure that's on stretch Okay, for the next piece I'm going to take one full strip What I'm going to do here is cut rounded corners around the folded end of the tape I fold that piece in half and I'm cutting rounded corners Then I'm going to take the first piece and I'm going across the muscles in the back of the shoulder I'm going to twist and tear the paper backing right in the middle I'm going to stretch this to eighty percent with nice even pressure so not gripping the tape like this but nice and flat with my thumbs and I'm going to stretch that out one hundred-percent and back that off just a little bit and I'm going to stick that on there and then peel the paper off and lay those ends down with absolutely zero stretch Give it a little friction just so it's adhered well my next piece just like that second one I placed. Twist and tear the paper backing nice, even pressure I'm going right next to that first piece, so a hundred percent, backing off a little bit so it's eighty percent, and I'm going to lay that down and then the very ends of the tape I'm going to lay down with absolutely zero stretch we give the whole thing a good rub just to create some friction and some heat. That heat allows the adhesive to activate and really stick to the skin Okay, once we do that we can then relax the neck and arm Okay, that looks good. Here are some helpful tips before applying. Clean the skin very well. Remove any oils or lotions you may have on and also be very careful with removing clothing as this may roll the tape. Some complementary treatments may include ice, rest, targeted and progressive strengthening, light massage and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen. Please seek care if you have extreme pain, swelling, discoloration, or if you suspect a dislocation or separation For more information see our website at www.kttape.com