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.

World Champion Athlete Comes To Floss Band Course

We had a Pencak Silat World Champion attend the Floss Band course today at Sports Solutions along with coaches, and sparring partners from the Singapore Silat Federation.

Surprised?

Yes, you read correctly, Muhammad Shakir Junda (above right) is a 2-time Pencak Silat World Champion (in the over 85-90 kg category). He was crowned World Champion in 2012 and 2016.

While I was still working at the Singapore Sports Council (now the S'pore Sports Institute), I had treated 3 Silat World Champions before and I found out today they were still involved with grooming future world champions.

Of course there were also other Physiotherapists, Personal trainers, Physical Education teachers and Occupational Therapists attending the course today. It was good to see some familiar faces in the participants today (Jocelyn and Tommy).

Hey, I thought it was the Floss band course, not foam rolling

Tommy Yau explaining how it's done

Lenis and Jacq do the cha cha?

A big thank you to Amy, Danny and Ekina for coming early and getting the place ready so I can eat a little after seeing patients in the morning. And for packing up after the course too. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you want to attend the next course in April.

Thank you to all who came to the course today, glad you guys found it useful. And hopefully we'll get more World Champions in Pencak Silat too.

Last Floss Band Course ....

... for this year.

I was informed earlier by Jane today that this is the 6th Floss Band course I've done for the year. Wow, I haven't really been keeping count and didn't realise we've done so many thus far. This I must say though, the year has really flown by. It's 3 weeks to the end of the year!

Well, one thing remained constant. We had a full house again today. There were lots of physiotherapists (from SGH and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital) and many physiotherapy students too among those who signed up. I always enjoy having fellow physiotherapists around to share and bounce ideas.

Getting to know the participants

Asking Jensen to demo for a change

Bert having a go 

I'm the winner!

 Jacqui (Her Lift's gym) and her dislocated shoulder ....

Jane, Danny, Amy and Jerome came really early for lunch first and then got everything ready when I was still seeing patients. Really appreciate their help in setting up the place and also packing up when we were done. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore for the next Floss Band course.

A big thank you to everyone who came too, hope everyone learnt something useful and can implement in your own area of work.

It was nice seeing Ang Hong again today too. She was my relief form teacher and taught me Biology when I was 15 years young when my form teacher went on medical leave for a few months. She was also one of the first few female triathletes I knew back then.

And yes, this is the last Floss Band course for this year, but there will be more next year. Stay tuned.

*Thanks to Jane Fong and Danny Ho for the pictures.

Full Again Today For The Floss Band Course

Just about to start

After a break of over two months, Sports Solutions hosted the Floss band course again today. As you can see from the picture above we were really filled.

There were lots of physiotherapists in the class today (at least half of the whole group I was told) and I spent a bit more time explaining the rationale for using the Floss bands while not neglecting the members of the public who did not have a anatomy background.

After all the explanations it was time to start flossing.

Flossing the knee

Flossing Jialing's lumbar spine

Many thanks as usual to Amy, Danny and Jane for setting up the place again while I was still treating patients. They do such an excellent job organising the course, registering the participants, setting up the place, providing the Floss bands etc while I just show up and teach.

Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you wish to attend the course or get the Floss bands.

Hey, Isn't That Alfred Sim (Project SuperStar Winner) At The Floss Band Course Today?

Flossing Alfred Sim's shoulder

Yes, it is Alfred Sim (Season 3 Project SuperStar winner) at the Floss band course at Sports Solutions  today. I had treated Alfred when he was a much younger sprinter years ago when I used to work at the Singapore Sports Council (now known as Singapore Sports Institute). I never knew Alfred was into singing and acting.

Other than Alfred, I also met other old friends, ex colleagues and participants from other courses I've taught.

Telling the class I've got fewer than 3 white hairs ...

As usual, once the theory component was done and dusted, the practical was underway.

Hey Liam, look at Cedric (in white) not Maire

Flossing Maire's lumbar spine

Sharon elbowing Bijun in the face ....

A big thank you to all who came today, it was nice seeing familiar faces in the class, occupational therapist Sharon Seah, KTP hospital Principal Physiotherapist Bijun, Kit Ping my ex colleague from SSC and Alfred Sim of course.

Kudos the Jane, Danny, Amy, Carol for coming early and setting up the place while I was still treating patients. Chapeau to them. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you wish to attend the course or get the Floss bands.

Super Full (Again) Today Despite The Heavy Storm

Are we starting yet?

Despite the very heavy downpour this afternoon, we had a super full crowd today. Normal enrolment for the course is 20 participants, we had close to 30 today. Some were late perhaps due to the heavy rain but we soon got the bands rolling ..... Pardon the pun.

Other than members of the public, personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, cross fitters, this time there were quite a few Physiotherapists from hospitals and private practices too.

There were some new slides presented today and those who attended the earlier two sessions can look them from up Prezi if they wish.

Once the theory part was out of the way, the practical started.

Lucie from In Touch Physio 

Lingo flossing Terence's wrist

Here's how I will floss Terence's wrist

Hmm Amos looks sceptical ....

Let's do the twist

Is that a smile from Terence?

Thank you to Amy and Danny for setting up everything despite the heavy rain and to Jane (who came from another event) for organizing the course. Next course will be on 9/7/16. Please contact Sanctband Singapore if you're keen to attend.

Full House Today (Again)

Full house ....waiting to start

I didn't expect the Flossing course to be full today as earlier in the week Jane told me that there were still vacancies and asked if I could share the brochure on our clinic's Facebook page.

But it was filled just like the course two weeks ago and we even had families and friends of course attendees dropping by.

Explaining how it works

Hey whose bones are these?

Time to demo

Amy, Jane and Danny from Sanctband were early as usual setting up the place while I was still seeing patients, a big thank you to them.

Next course will be on 14/5/16, please contact Sanctband Singapore to sign up.

Calm before the start

The Flossing Technique At Sports Solutions

All ears

After seeing patients in the morning and the early afternoon, I had > 30 minutes to get ready to teach others how to use the Floss bands. Fortunately, Amy, Danny and Jane from Sanctband arrived very early to get ready. Chapeau to them.

After explaining how the bands work, it was time to floss.

Putting to practice what they learnt

We had 20 people who came today. The course is organized by Sanctband Singapore and held at Sports Solutions. The next course is in 2 weeks. Please contact Sanctband  if you're keen to attend.

Concentrating ....

A big thank you to Amy, Danny and Jane today.

After Rupturing His Patella Tendon .....

Nice leather seats ....

This is how Ronald Susilo came to our clinic after surgery to re-attach his patella tendon - his wife drove him while he sat in the back seat. Besides rupturing his patella tendon, he also tore his ACL and his meniscus.

With the Floss band

Last Saturday (20/02/16)  you saw him struggling to turn the pedals a full round while on the stationary bike. Only with the Floss band he managed to go one full round albeit with lots of shouting (in pain of course)!

On Monday (22/2/16), we went to the pool for hydrotherapy. 

And yesterday he saw his surgeon for a review. His surgeon told him "good progress". Little did the surgeon know he couldn't bend his knee more than 60 degrees last Saturday!

Today we got him on the Bongo board. Yes, both side to side and front and back. A board developed to challenge even professional athletes.

Check this out!

Holding on for dear life

What I'm trying to say is we didn't achieved this progress just because of the Floss band. Yes maybe the Floss band did kick start his rehab last Saturday by allowing him to turn the stationary bike pedals a full round. He began to believe in himself after that.

We did lots of other things along the way too, (I've left out the other rehab details of course, come talk to me if you wanna know). 

Use your Floss band as part of the treatment strategies you have to treat your patients. It's not a magic bullet. It's certainly not the only treatment aid/ tool you should be using.

To Jane Fong, Danny Ho, Sven Kruse and Sanctband, thank you for introducing to me the Floss band. It's definitely a tool I use in my bag of tools to treat my patients.

Ronald Susilo going down stairs

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.