Friday, December 10, 2010 is a day that will be remembered in Canadian Sporting History.  For the first time in the countries cycling history a team has reached the Division 2 status of Professional Continental.  This means the UCI, cycling’s international governing body, has recognized the efforts of the team both in front of the lens and behind the scenes as one of the top 38 teams in the world.  18 teams have been selected as Division 1 and a further 20 as Division 2.  It’s a step in Canada’s cycling history that has never been taken, but the unknown future is looking bright for the eager and motivated members of Team SpiderTech powered by C10

There are a number of cliché statements I can make here but if I didn’t say that it was a true team effort with everyone giving their 110% I would be lying.  The effort began three years ago by Cycle Sport Management, the team’s management company. Co-founded by cycling legend, Steve Bauer and his partner Josee Larocque after seeing a need to fill a vast void in Canada’s cycling structure.  The team is now beginning to walk in the large pair of shoes it set out to fill.   SpiderTech p/b C10 is purely a homegrown environment with the majority of the riders, staff and sponsors all Canadian.  There are 15 Canadian riders and only 3 non-Canadians, myself, my former teammate Pat McCarty and the only Mexican cyclist riding in the D1 or D2 status, Flavio De Luna.  The team has taken a methodical approach to making sure as many go forward each year as possible and with the same pattern continuing in the next couple of years we will be running in those shoes in no time.

This past week we all gathered in St. Catherines, Ontario, hometown of the legend himself, for a Winter Wonderland get together.  We never planed much riding and the weather made sure of that.  But for the cold temperatures outside, the team made up the warmth in welcoming the future of Canadian cycling.  The core group of the team still exists and everyone that has come into the team has been accepted as one of their own.  So accepted, that the riders collectively “granted” the “foreign” riders Honorary Canadian Citizenship!  Unfortunately, I’m not sure how well that will hold up at the border, it is still a welcoming feeling.

Meetings were held, bikes were fit, fun was had, and handshakes confidently ended a camp and began an endeavor everyone is 110% on board for.  The 2011 season brings a further unknown, but the teams methodical approach to developing it’s riders instills a confidence in everyone.  We may walk the streets as individuals but when we come together on our bikes we form a team ready to compete against the best in the world.  Together we make Team SpiderTech powered by C10 and together we will make a future for Canadian cyclists.

At the Finishline of Ironman Arizona 2010 by Rich Cruse

It’s hard to add a whole lot to that photo. There’s nothing quite like crossing the finishline. For all the talk about the work done and to do in order to get somewhere, nothing really compares to actually sealing the deal. This was a blog dedicated to comebacks, and while I haven’t yet quite returned to the very top of the podium, I think Ironman Arizona qualified as a comeback. Mission accomplished. Thank you SpiderTech for the very important role you played. Now let’s get to work on making it back to that top step.

I recently engaged in a discussion that seems to occur regularly on the topic of kinesio tape. Namely, the “how the $*%& can that stuff work?” discussion. I’m not sure how many folks saw my reply, and at the very least, it was a different audience than might read this, so I thought I’d share here.

A good first place to start is when considering the efficacy of kinesio tape is here: http://www.npr.org/…hp?storyId=128795325

I know we try to avoid it as endurance athletes, but I know a lot of people *have* lifted weights before. One interesting phenomenon is that many – if not all lifters – lift more with a spotter. Now, this is a difficult thing to really quantify, because people also tend to take more risks with a spotter, but what many folks talk about is how they can lift more with a spotter who touches them – say hands on forearms for bench press – than with a spotter who is simply there. There’s actually a very, very significant amount of scientific research behind the impact of “touch.” Most, if not all, of the research revolves around human touch (like in that article). But some of it is pretty astounding. While kinesiotape is not human touch, it is nevertheless stimulating the same pressure-sensitive nerves in your skin. The tape is touching your skin. It pulls your skin as you move. It’s very clearly “present.” Speaking from experience, even though I *know* – intuitively – that the tape offers NO support whatsoever, it *feels* like it offers support, and that seems to have a noticeable effect on the body’s pain response. This is also why kinesiotape often does NOT work. Very often the pain response cannot be influenced by touch. Think of a broken bone. But, in genera, a LOT of pain – especially soft tissue injuries – are the body responding to something. I.e., pain is a nerve signal, and your body can choose process it a certain way. And kinesiotape seems to sort of rely on on “tricking” the body – which is why I’d never advocate kinesiotape long term. It’s a temporary solution – in my case, it allowed me (I *believe*) to be more effective in rehab exercises because I didn’t feel pain limiting me.

That’s one THEORY – that kinesiotape works through stimulus of the nerves and pressure receptors in your skin, which – for whatever reason – seems to have a positive effect on the body – reduction of stress, which of course is very closely tied to inflammation, pain, etc.

Another THEORY – the one that prevailed for a long time until some of the research on touch started to come out – is related to proprioception. Imagine running on a treadmill in a mirror. In my own experience, you tend to run better, because you can visually see what is happening. You brain has additional information available to it which helps process actions. I.e., if you change your footstrike, you can see what you’ve changed. You can see your posture. Another example of proprioception is – to some extent – swimming with paddles. Yes, big paddles enhance pulling surface, but “finger” or “catch” paddles are also very effective tools, and a big part of why is that they magnify the body’s awareness of where the hand is in the water. The theory is that kinesiotape worked in a similar way. If you have this tight tape crisscrossing a joint, you are MORE aware of how that joint is moving. In the case of my knee, if my knee moved in during an exercise, i would feel the tape pulling on it in one way. If it moved out, I’d feel the tape pulling on it in another way. This added stimulus provides additional proprioception. With that additional proprioception, your body has an easier time stabilizing the joint, which means that many of the supporting muscles can relax and not unduly restrict motion in a protective reaction for fear of the joint moving past a comfortable range, because that range is more clearly defined by virtue of the added stimulation giving additional proprioceptive input.

I’m not sure that the two theories are mutually exclusive. I tend to think they may be inherently related. But those are the two prevailing theories.

As a noted pubmed fan, I regularly search for kinesio tape. There are some good studies out there. Most don’t look into “Why.” Only, “does it work.”

Here’s a sample:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19147374
The effects of taping on scapular kinematics and muscle performance in baseball players with shoulder impingement syndrome.
CONCLUSIONS: The elastic taping resulted in positive changes in scapular motion and muscle performance. The results supported its use as a treatment aid in managing shoulder impingement problems.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19574662
Short-term effects of cervical kinesio taping on pain and cervical range of motion in patients with acute whiplash injury: a randomized clinical trial.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with acute WAD receiving an application of Kinesio Taping, applied with proper tension, exhibited statistically significant improvements immediately following application of the Kinesio Tape and at a 24-hour follow-up. However, the improvements in pain and cervical range of motion were small and may not be clinically meaningful. Future studies should investigate if Kinesio Taping provides enhanced outcomes when added to physical therapy interventions with proven efficacy or when applied over a longer period.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18591761
The clinical efficacy of kinesio tape for shoulder pain: a randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial.
CONCLUSION: KT may be of some assistance to clinicians in improving pain-free active ROM immediately after tape application for patients with shoulder pain. Utilization of KT for decreasing pain intensity or disability for young patients with suspected shoulder tendonitis/impingement is not supported.

I just picked those three at random. Notice in all cases, a statistically significant improvement was reported. The last one is most illustrative to me, because it also demonstrates when kinesiotape does NOT work – when there is an actual impingement. Kinesiotape general seems to address issues of soft-tissue inflammation. There are things it CANNOT fix. And anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot and a liar. But there do seem to be some pretty strong indications for it’s use.

One other study, which tends to provide support for the first theory I presented, which is NOW the most accepted (the proprioceptive theory is the old one) is this one:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20537313
Relieving symptoms of meralgia paresthetica using Kinesio taping: a pilot study.
CONCLUSIONS: Kinesio taping can be used in the treatment of MP. Future randomized placebo-controlled trials should be designed with patients and assessors blind to the type of intervention.

Meralgia paresthetica is a condition characterized by tingling, numbness and burning pain in the outer part of your thigh. The cause of meralgia paresthetica is compression of the nerve that supplies sensation to the skin surface of your upper leg. (From WebMD). So what’s interesting is that it’s a nervous “problem” that is helped by the tape. Anyway, I’m sure that’s more than you wanted. But hopefully it shows that there is some good – and compelling – research that shows, at the very least, the efficacy of kinesiotape even if the exact mechanism is not yet known.

Further to the above, SpiderTech makes a “lymph” spider, which is designed along these lines. It’s a bit of a different usage, because the idea is not pain management. It’s something where I’m not sure there even *could be* a placebo effect, a common response to many of the pain-centric kinesio tape studies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19199105
Could Kinesio tape replace the bandage in decongestive lymphatic therapy for breast-cancer-related lymphedema? A pilot study.

CONCLUSIONS: The study results suggest that K-tape could replace the bandage in DLT, and it could be an alternative choice for the breast-cancer-related lymphedema patient with poor short-stretch bandage compliance after 1-month intervention. If the intervention period was prolonged, we might get different conclusion. Moreover, these two treatment protocols are inefficient and cost time in application. More efficient treatment protocol is needed for clinical practice.

It’s a less conclusive study, but an interesting one nonetheless. What is most interesting, to me, is that it largely operates outside any of the perceived mechanisms that I explained for how kinesiotape works other than to say that it has “an” effect on the nervous system which then plays a role in how nerves control muscles.

It’s, as the study suggests, a pilot. And the results are not overwhelming. But it’s interesting that there results are positive, and I think that’s something that would suggest – to me anyway – that there is something more than “placebo” going on when tape is used. I think this study is the most on the fringe of potential benefits, which is why the conclusions are not very concrete. But I think that perhaps more research along THIS sort of line might be easier to rely on eliminate the placebo effect because, as you note, doing a double-blind trial is very hard. There’s no “placebo tape” equivalent. At least, not yet.

What I also found interesting is that there was ONE double-blind, randomized trial on pubmed that also shows the same results for shoulder pain – no benefit for an impingement, but benefits for those without impingement.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18591761
STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial using a repeated-measures design.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the short-term clinical efficacy of Kinesio Tape (KT) when applied to college students with shoulder pain, as compared to a sham tape application.

BACKGROUND: Tape is commonly used as an adjunct for treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. A majority of tape applications that are reported in the literature involve nonstretch tape. The KT method has gained significant popularity in recent years, but there is a paucity of evidence on its use.

METHODS AND MEASURES: Forty-two subjects clinically diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis/impingement were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: therapeutic KT group or sham KT group. Subjects wore the tape for 2 consecutive 3-day intervals. Self-reported pain and disability and pain-free active ranges of motion (ROM) were measured at multiple intervals to assess for differences between groups.

RESULTS: The therapeutic KT group showed immediate improvement in pain-free shoulder abduction (mean +/- SD increase, 16.9 degrees +/- 23.2 degrees ; P = .005) after tape application. No other differences between groups regarding ROM, pain, or disability scores at any time interval were found.

CONCLUSION: KT may be of some assistance to clinicians in improving pain-free active ROM immediately after tape application for patients with shoulder pain. Utilization of KT for decreasing pain intensity or disability for young patients with suspected shoulder tendonitis/impingement is not supported.

Hope that helps for folks that wonder about the science involved.

Plaid, Iodine, Six?  What could these three words possibly have in common?  They just so happen to be the three most prominent words I remember from my trip to the 2010 Ford Ironman World Champ’s in Kona, Hawaii.  They were the three words the EMT was telling me to remember as I laid, neck awkwardly immobilized, staring at the roof of an ambulance.  He also had me pick a holiday and to remember it.  I picked Christmas.

For the third time in my career as I cyclist I had an altercation with a large metal object on four wheels.  For the third time in my career the vehicle won.  As I had just left the famous Lava Java on Ali’i Drive in route to a tasty cold beverage once again I was dealt a healthy dose of reality.  Like a gecko coming out of nowhere and scattering across the deck of our beach front Kona rental, a lime green VW beetle was suddenly hurling itself towards me.  The next thing I remember was waking up on the ground to the shrills of onlookers and bystanders alike.  Some stood in shock and awe as they saw my precious Argon 18 road bike splintered into more pieces than a Japanese sashimi plate.  Others came to a nervous rescue, adamantly making sure I didn’t move an inch.  I calmed them down by letting them now I’ve been through this before.  That didn’t work.

Then came those three little words plaid, iodine, and six.  I graciously thanked the EMT for picking such obscure words, told him I didn’t have a very good memory to start with, and in his in-amusement to it all made sure I committed them to memory.  Oh, and Christmas too!  I couldn’t help but to chuckle as I kept thinking how funny it all must have looked to a fly on the wall of that ambulance.  Here I am in a neck brace and back board, trying to concentrate on committing plaid, iodine, and six to memory.

The EMT opened up a bit and started laughing with me and in a few short hours we were all smirking a bit as I was eventually cleared from the hospital.  After the X-Rays and CT Scan came back clear and the doctor stitched up a few holes I was free to roam, albeit gingerly, but at my own discretion.  The Universe, Life, someone or something of a higher power or whatever you choose to call it has a way of dealing us lessons.  Each of us manifest these lessons in all sorts of way.  I’ve learned my lessons manifest themselves in the physical sense.  Couldn’t they just send a letter by carrier pigeon?

I went to Kona to see an Ironman through the eyes of  a professional cyclist.  I went to see the differences, the similarities, and to enjoy my off season in sunny Hawaii. I got to watch athletes all week prepping for what was to be their biggest race of the year.  On race day I was in and out of sleep recovering all day and wasn’t able to watch the race, but I knew each and every individual were on the roads of Kona defying the odds.  I got hit by a car and I’m sure most of those athletes crossed the line that day feeling like they got run over by a truck.  Either way we all walked away gingerly from our trips to Kona.

In the end I learned a lesson in control or lack thereof and reinforced resilience.  There are only so many things in our control, sometimes we have to just let nature take it’s course and stop trying to put every piece into place.  If we back off those pieces will fall themselves.  With that and the ultimate resilience and persistence to not give up we can all succeed.  Just like those athletes did that day in Kona we can all succeed in our own lives, we just have to take those obstacles we are dealt with a positive outlook and learn from them.

I was lucky enough to have an entire SpiderTech crew by my side when this happened and I am well on my way to recovering from injuries.  This obstacle is just a test in my ability to fully comeback.  After getting all the swelling down quickly with lymphatic spiders I will be back on the bike and in the gym in less than two weeks and embark on the next phase of my comeback.  Not bad for getting hit by a car and barely remembering a thing!

Reading a lot of the tweets from the @TheSpiderTech account during and after Kona, I was struck by a few things. First off, I was really pleased to see that Spider Tech product made a marked impact on a lot of people’s races. I also thought about the fact that there were a lot of people who needed it to make an impact. Any time you get ready for a big race, you are likely going to push the envelope. And sometimes – many times – you end up putting a toe (or a foot or a whole leg or your whole self) over the line. That’s normal. But it’s also should be normal, post race, to make sure you take some time to address those problems.

One of the things I like about kinesiotape is that I see it as a product with an “exit strategy.” Unlike a brace, it’s not something that’s designed to be used indefinitely. It’s like a band-aid – it helps you heal, but eventually you should take it off. And it’s also less painful if you’ve shaved…

One area where I really felt that the Spiders added a lot to my routine was doing rehab exercises in the gym. I felt like I had some additional stability and awareness, and that I got better results out of my rehab exercises. It was definitely nice to put on a knee Spider and have my knee hurt less. But that was nearly as valuable to me as the sense of improved execution of my exercises for me knee. And that’s where I really saw my exit strategy.

Spiders remind me a bit of paddles and a pull buoy, two favorite tools for swimmers. An interesting article I read (can’t remember where, so sorry, no link) talked about the difference between a typical age-group swimmers program and an elite swim team program. The big difference? Kicking. “Real” swimmers kick. A lot. Like 40% of a workout. But that’s slow and it’s hard. Pulling with paddles is a great way to crank out yardage. Especially in a sport where folks rely on wetsuits, a pull buoy can seem almost “logical.” But it’s not. Want to be a better swimmer? Focus on the fundamentals. You don’t need to kick that much, but again, it’s about improvement. Use the pull buoy and paddles like tools, because that is what they are. And they are great tools. But use them with an “exit strategy.” Not in the sense that you are going to give them up, but with the idea that if you’re 800 pull-paddles time is a LOT better (more than 3-5seconds/100) than your swim time, you need to work on less reliance on your pull buoy and paddles.

Likewise, look at kinesiotape in the same light. It is a great asset to have. I love knowing that I can tape my knee up for exercises if I feel like I’ve maybe pushed my knee a bit beyond what I should have running. Or if I’m adding time to my long run, I can tape my knee to provide that bit of extra support. But my goal is always to – long term – not need to do so. And I hope that for everyone who tweeted about their use of Spidertech tape for the race in Kona, they also have a plan to not rely on it next year.

We all push ourselves. And sometimes we push ourselves too far. And I think of kinesiotape as a great asset for those inevitable times. But there needs to also be an equally “inevitable” commitment to correcting bad biomechanics, overuse (that one’s simple – it’s recovery), etc. The tape is especially nice because there are no side effects; it’s not a drug; it’s not a brace or a crutch. So I think it’s hard to “overuse” tape. But keep in mind that your body is supposed to be functional on it’s own. And look at the tape as a tool to help get you back to that point, not as an excuse to keep crossing the line.