MEDICAL TAPING CONCEPT FOR PEDICURE.

Text and photographs: Ina Oortwijn, pedicure. Published in a Dutch magazine called Podopost (June 2009).

Personally, I was already convinced of the extremely beneficial effects of the Medical Taping Concept, a method of treatment that uses CureTape®. I am a marathon runner, and a few weeks ago I strained my hamstring muscle. It came at a very awkward moment, as I was to run a marathon in three weeks time. All a runner can think about is: ‘What will get me back on my feet and running again as soon as possible?’ Or rather, how do we solve this as quickly as possible with as little damage as possible? Not being able to run is a disaster for any marathon runner!

One of my clients is a sports therapist for a soccer club, and, as such, has ample experience of hamstring injuries. He has been using medical taping for quite a few years to accelerate the recovery from these injuries, while also using the method as a preventative measure to avoid injury. He treated my hamstring with CureTape, and then advised me to take it easy for the next five days, after which I could cautiously start running again. He recommended cycling instead of running to keep my legs moving and to speed up the drainage of waste products. I ran the marathon three weeks later – without any hamstring problems.

Medical Taping was developed in Asia, mainly in Japan and Korea, during the seventies. The reasoning behind it is that movement and muscle activity are essential for maintaining good health, or for recovery. Muscles are not just necessary for movement; they also have an effect on the blood circulation, the lymphatic system and our body temperature. If our muscles are not in full working order, we start to develop symptoms of disorders.

This reasoning led to the design of an elastic tape that supports the muscles and facilitates their work without obstructing our movements. In the nineties, a former professional soccer player (Alfred Nijhuis) played for one of the Japanese clubs and discovered that he recovered faster from injuries when this taping method was used, and consequently, he introduced this method of treatment to the Netherlands.

Today, this method continues to grow, with new developments being added to it, as an ever-increasing group of therapists discover it. The whole of possibilities is now known as the Medical Taping Concept.

In 2009, the first courses in Medical Taping specially designed for pedicures were held.

The Medical Taping Concept offers extremely pleasant ways for easing the pressure on a painful Hallux Valgus, or for treating a heel spur. A bruised toe can be supported with Medical Taping without restricting the movement of the toe, which will accelerate recovery from the bruising. The range of possibilities is huge and personally, I am convinced that every pedicure will be able to upgrade his or her work considerably.

The tape has the following properties:

The tape used in Medical Taping is called the CureTape. This tape is made from 100% cotton with elastic fibres woven into it. It has a hypoallergenic adhesive layer. The glue is applied onto the tape in a specially designed pattern, allowing the material to breathe optimally. Consequently, the tape can be easily tolerated, even when worn for longer periods and can therefore be used by people with very sensitive skins, such as diabetics. The tape is waterproof; it can be worn in the shower and even when swimming.

It is advisable to renew the tape after four to seven days when used for longer periods.

What is the secret of CureTape?

The tape has en elasticity of 140%, comparable to the elasticity of our skin. Its thickness and weight are also similar to human skin. These properties allow the tape to act as a second skin, as it were. Its unique composition and special properties jointly produce amazing results if the tape is used correctly. For injuries, the tape is applied with a precise stretch (depending on the technique) to the affected area. The tape lifts the skin up, so to speak. This lift creates folds, or ‘convolutions’, producing more space underneath the skin. This restores the blood circulation and lymph drainage, which is, of course, very beneficial for the removal of waste products and will accelerate the recovery from the injury.

An injury usually shows some swelling, which puts pressure on the pain receptors as well as the blood vessels and lymph vessels. As the tape’s lifting effect immediately reduces the pressure on the pain receptors, the blood vessels and lymph vessels, the pain is alleviated and the circulation is restored. Because the pain has eased, the patient can move more easily and this will aid the recovery. CureTape stimulates the body’s own recovery process.

Conventional taping using sport tapes is intended to fixate the affected part of the body, limiting the body’s range of movement. This also restricts the circulation and the lymph drainage, and consequently, recovery times are longer. The fixation often restricts movement, and the rehabilitation process takes longer. The treatment usually lasts considerably longer than therapy with Medical Taping.

There are several different techniques that can be used for applying the tape so that various tissues can be treated in different ways.

Effects that can be achieved are:

In other words, the scope of its applications is huge. One may consider its use for treatment of: hamstring injuries, shin splints, knee problems, frozen shoulders, neck and shoulder complaints, period pain, backache, relief from osteoarthritis, sprains, bursitis, oedema, sprained ankles, fibrosis, scars and haematoma.

In this article, I shall limit myself to the problems that are most interesting to pedicures. As we saw earlier, a painful heel spur can be relieved of its pressure quite straightforwardly, and will consequently reduce the pain experienced by the patient immediately. If you know how painful a heel spur can be, you will that any reduction of the pain is already a huge relief.

To treat a heel spur:

The objective is to reduce the pressure on the painful area of the heel spur with the tape, which will immediately alleviate the symptoms.

A heel spur is protracted ailment and it must be taped for a certain number of consecutive weeks.

Using the tape’s ‘star’, the greatest lift effect will be centred on the painful area, and produce the greatest effect of this taping method.

Figure 2: This pictures clearly shows how the middle of the tapes centres on the heel’s painful area. The client has immediate relief.

A painful Hallux Valgus can also be treated with Medical Taping. The client feels immediate relief and senses that the toe has a straighter position. An example of treatment from my own clinic can be seen in figures 3 to 6.

Figure 3: 1 A client with a painful Hallux Valgus.

Figure 4: First, the toe is ‘straightened’ with a ‘Y-tape’, directly resisting the position of the valgus. Depending on the severity of the aberration, it may need to be taped for several weeks. The CureTape needs to be applied for three to six weeks to maintain the corrected position.

PATIENTS STILL NEED TO BE ADVISED TO WEAR GOOD SHOES.

Figure 5: A Y-tape corrects the position of MTB 1. Please also notice the space that has been created between Dig.1 and 2.

Figure 6: Please notice the difference between this picture and figure 3. Space between dig 1 and 2.

The client experienced relief as soon as the first tape had been applied. When the client put on her shoes, she noticed that she could walk more easily and with much less pain. Her toe felt ‘straighter’ in the shoe.

This method will also allow you to correct a painful hammertoe. The foot seen below has a painful little joint on the left on the Digiti 2, which is the result of a fallen metatarsus, while two of the toes are for the greater part fused together (syndactyly). The lady likes to wear elegant shoes on special occasions, but the knuckle causes extreme pain. (Pride must abide.)

Figure 7: dig 2 has been corrected. This figure clearly shows the claw position of the toes.

This patient also experienced immediate relief after taping. The toe was straighter and felt straighter too. After a few days, the red knuckle on top of the toe started to return to its normal colour and was no longer painful.

The tape therapy corrected the transversal arch and the painful toe was supported in order to reach the desired effect.

Another important application for pedicures is the support of plantar fasciitis. This tape is applied from the calcaneus to the distal end of the metatarsalia.

Figure 8: The foot is placed under pressure by asking the client to stretch the toes upwards towards the body.

Figure 9 Cut a strip of tape that corresponds in length to the distance between the heel bone and the basis of the metatarsalia. The corners should be rounded to prevent them from curling.

Figure 10: Support of plantar fasciitis.

This tape has a huge proprioceptive effect and is consequently very suitable for people with diabetes or polyneuropathy, causing the feeling in the sole of the foot to diminish. This tape also improves the venous drainage of the foot and lower leg; actually, this type of tape should always be used for people with circulation problems.

Medical Taping Concept for pedicures. Very recommended!

Sources: the instruction book for the medical taping concept for pedicures by: Josya Sijmonsma, and the MTC manual . This article is also published in a Dutch magazine called Podopost (June 2009).

Medical Taping Concept by: Josya Sijmonsma.