Storm Before Floss Band Course

Storm outside our clinic

There was a big storm before the Floss band course today and maybe that's why the turn out was less than normal. But it certainly didn't dampen our spirits. We had a chiropractor, physiotherapy students, a Singapore Cycling Association coach, another strength and conditioning coach from CrossFit Fire City and personal trainers.

Flossing Ben's knee

As usual, I took the time and effort to explain Tensegrity, what and how our fascia functions and the Pain Gate Theory (by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, 1965) so that the participants understand how the Floss band works. And they can in turn explain to their patients, athletes and friends what the Floss band does.

Can't touch my head

A big thank you to Amy, Danny, Ekina and Jane for coming to get the clinic ready for the course. That allowed me to eat after I saw patients in the clinic from this morning. And for packing up after, so I can see another patient.

A big thank you to everyone who came despite the heavy storm before. Hope everyone learnt useful strategies that you can use use in your own area or work, play and training.

Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore for the next Floss band course and if you need to get the Floss bands.

A big thank you to everyone who came despite the heavy storm before. Hope everyone learnt useful strategies that you can use use in your own area or work, play and training.

FFTT - Floss Band, Foam Roller, Trigger Ball And Taping

Underwrap? To explain fascia?

It's been a few months since we had our last floss band course. I was told by Jane we had eight previous courses so far.

After the last course Jane mentioned to me that many people have asked about the benefits and especially differences between using the Floss band, foam roller, trigger ball and taping.

She told me my new task was to effectively address how FFTT - floss band, foam roller, trigger ball and taping can be effective (or not depending on how you use them) in treating myofascial pain, addressing adhesion/ knots in fascia and improving range of motion.

Talking about fascia

We spent lots of time on the anatomy of fascia. After explaining how to effectively move fascia, we went on to the practical part of the course. Demonstrations using the floss band, foam roller, trigger ball were shown.

Marc helping with the foam roller demo

For the taping bit, I just showed the class pictures. You've got to come to our Kinesio Taping course if you want to learn the taping techniques.

Let me also mentioned that other than Kinesio Taping, Functional Fascial Taping (or FFT) using rigid sports tape too can influence fascia.

Functional fascial taping for the knee

Ron Alexander who used to treat the Australian Ballet dancers developed the technique while working with the ballet dancers.  If you've attended the course, you will know how much you need to "gather" or pull the tape. In Kinesio Taping, the ability of the Kinesio tape to recoil does the work for you.

Once again, chapeau to Jane, Danny and Ekina for coming to get the place ready and for helping me to pack up too. I wouldn't have gotten ready in time to teach without their help. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you are keen to find out more.

Thank you also all the physiotherapy students, physiotherapists, Terrance Yap from Atlas Chiropractic, the teachers from Nanyang Junior College and the rest who attended the course today. Hope you found it useful.

Getting Tang from NYJC to march

The physiotherapy students and their discussion

Gek Han deep in thought

Gurmit comfy on the floor

More On The Floss Bands

Floss band and fascia

I have been trying out the Floss bands on my patients when there is an indication for it's use since attending the Flossing course.

Here are a few suggestions on how the Floss bands work. A common hypothesis is that it works through our fascial system.We have more fascia (or connective tissue) than anything else in our body. Fascia is a spider web like structure that wraps our muscles, blood vessels and nerves. Tom Myers say that fascia is the biological fabric we have inside our bodies.

I often tell my patients that fascia is similar to the glad wrap (or cling wrap) that wraps the meat or fruit tightly that we see in supermarkets.

When our fascia is adhered to itself, dehydrated or has unhealthy tension, movement can be restricted and blood may not be able to flow freely. For example, those knots you feel in your upper back, they may not be muscle tightness but probably fascia that has adhered to itself.

When you release tight fascia and allow for space in the connective tissue, blood can flow freely, movement becomes fluid and pain stops as a result.

Flossing helps create motion between the fascial layers which then releases the unhealthy adhesions.

Those of you who've attended the Kinesio taping courses must be thinking that this sounds similar. Yes, similar to the fascia taping techniques covered in the Day 2 of the Kinesio Taping course.

There is also the occlusion effect, The compression from the Floss band will prevent blood flow to the area the band is wrapped around. When the band is released, a rush of blood hydrates that area and can have a healing effect.

No Floss band, not enough range ....

With the Floss band

This is probably how joint mechanics improved too since joints that are painful and/ or have decreased range of motion after flossing often change remarkably.

Joints that are swollen benefit as compression (from the Floss bands) moves the swelling or drain the swollen area to other parts just like how our own lymphatic (or drainage) system works.

My patient in the picture above (no prizes for guessing who) ruptured his patella tendon last month and after surgery to attach it back didn't have enough range to ride the stationary bike. After flossing, kaboom! He's got enough range to pedal a full revolution. He yelled really loudly though!

Personally, I feel the Floss bands seem to work best in aiding recovery. Flossing the thigh muscles after a hard run  makes the legs feel a lot lighter and looser in two minutes. Yes you read correctly, two minutes or less.

 I've had a Team Singapore swimmer, cyclist and a netball player come in to our clinic today with acute muscle soreness and responded favourably to flossing and all three were impressed with how quickly the results came. You've got to try it to believe it.

My CrossFit patients tell me after a heavy squatting session when the legs feel really "dead" and heavy, the Floss bands definitely help with muscle recovery.

So, I'm not saying you have to run out and grab one straight away. I'm still trying to understand how it works and how to get consistent results with the Floss band, But like I wrote earlier, you've got to try it to believe it.

Learning To Use The Floss Band

Floss Bands made bySanctband

I was invited by Jane Fong and Danny Ho from Sanctband to attend the Flossing workshop in Ipoh, Malaysia taught by a German physiotherapist, Sven Kruse.

Prior to this I've never heard of Floss Bands before. But Jane and Danny from Sanctband got me interested after telling me what the bands can do. Used correctly, they can decrease pain and increase joint range of motion, especially by altering the fascia. (Sounds like Kinesio Taping to me)!

In fact in the USA, they are also known as Voodoo bands and are extremely popular among CrossFitters. Other than being a good marketing ploy by enticing people into trying them out by calling it Voodoo bands, Danny told me it was also because no one seemed to understand how they work so well - almost like "Black Magic".

The Floss bands are supposed to be able to help decrease pain and increase mobility/ range of motion in your joints. Now, that will definitely help our patients.

It is also suggested that it can be helpful in breaking up adhesions in our fascia (connective tissue) by re-perfusing tissues and by compressing the swelling out of joints to restore joint mechanics.

With Sven Kruse

Let me practise what I've learnt and I'll write another post shortly. Stay tuned.