Thirty five days of 100+ degrees daytime and 85+ at night is TOO MUCH!!! The heat is giving me fits with the lymphedema. The swelling is bad enough; the pain in the elbow and shoulder is even worse. The standard treatment for lymphedema is ace bandages to encourage the lymph fluid to move toward the trunk for elimination. Winding yards of ace bandages from fingers to arm pit is not fun and once the job is done the arm begins to get hotter and hotter. I have an elastic sleeve to wear during the day [easier and cooler than bandages] but the sleeve works its way down the arm and can bind at the elbow. I use the Jobi sleeve to wear at night and that seems to keep swelling from increasing overnight.
My friend Joan learned about kinesiology tape from her massage therapist. The tape was placed in a deep V-shape from the back of her neck down to her shoulder blades. The tape gave her some really surprising relief for muscle pain. So I was hoping to learn more about kinesiology for lymphedema and for sore knees. At my last physical therapy session I got a lesson on how to position kinesiology tape to encourage lymph fluid drainage in my arm. How interesting!! The K-tape is used by sports people to reduce swelling.
The trick is to stretch the tape a little. This gives an elastic feel and massages the taped area with any movement. Well, check out the various web sites and see if K-tape will help your aches and pains. I am finding some relief for my super sore shoulder and elbow - where the lymph fluid seems to get stuck. But I can't seem to get the tape placed correctly to reduce the fluid in my upper arm. I think this is something I can learn with a few more lessons. Taping the elbow and shoulder is a not complicated.
I found a site on the internet on how to tape knees and will start trying this soon. I'm about to give up on finding relief for knee pain. In desperation I made an appointment with the orthopedic who has used cortisone shots in my joints. I generally get a shot before going on a trip. This time I'll ask for a review of both knees and am prepared for him to say NO MORE minimal invasive surgery will work. Bummer. I'm not looking forward to replacing joints yet. And the idea of replacing one knee, going through weeks of rehab, then replacing the other knee and going to rehab a 2nd time seems inefficient at best. Just what is the problem with doing both knees and getting on with life after just 1 rehab??? I've been through chemo...I know that there are some super good drugs out there to manage the pain. Bring 'em on and let's get this knee situation fixed all at once!!!
OK....of to play with my K-tape.....
I really like your post. Kinesiology tape is really amazing and I wanted to use it in my injury.
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