#k-tape

[mr-tr4sh]

As you're aware I'm a person who didn't listen to any "bind safely" advices. I basically worked 12 hour shifts while wearing a binder which you should never do. It's hella painful to wear a binder and I'm not getting to chop them off in near future. So. The only option for me now is using k-tape because I'm not bringing no B cup chesticles unbound to work. Or actually anywhere. Wanna read a long post on using k-tape on a daily basis as a large guy with a pretty active life style?

[discyours]

What are safer alternatives to binding?

K-tape is much safer in my opinion. It can damage your skin but since it doesn’t compress your rib cage it’s not going to cause the type of damage a traditional binder does. It can be easy to apply it wrong though, so do your research before attempting to. I used to have a guide on it but I’m not really comfortable linking that anymore. 

The tape should never be applied all the way around your chest (it should never go past your armpit) and shouldn’t be pulled too tight. If you feel it affecting your breathing at all, it’s too tight. If you can physically feel it pulling on your skin, it’s too tight. If you applied it wrong you need to take it off right away, and you need to soak it in oil first so you can loosen the adhesive. K-tape isn’t removed the way you remove a band-aid, you need to pull it off REALLY slowly so you don’t damage your skin. If it hurts at all, you’re pulling it off too fast or haven’t applied enough oil to it (any type of skin-safe oil works, like baby oil or cooking oil. Oils specifically developed for “transtape” are a scam, don’t waste your money on them). You also have to cover your nipples somehow (with bandaids, gauze, kleenex or even toilet paper but I wouldn’t recommend the last one as it dissolves when wet) to protect them from the tape. 

Like I said, damage to your skin is the biggest risk with k-tape. That’s a considerable step up from warped and/or broken ribs, but it’s not as benign as it seems. Damaged skin can end up getting infected, and on a long-term scale it’s possible that constantly pulling on your skin can make it lose elasticity, which can affect top surgery results if you ever plan on getting it. To minimise direct damage you need to be very careful when removing k-tape (again, by using oil) and make sure that your skin stays clean and dry. K-tape can be worn for several days at a time (~3-5) so you generally do shower with it, but after doing so you need to make sure the tape dries properly. You need to pat it down with a towel to remove as much moisture as possible, and then not wear a shirt until it’s dry. If it’s winter or you live in a very humid environment, you generally can’t use k-tape as it won’t dry fast enough. 

Other, even safer options would be to disguise your chest through clothing. Hoodies, stiff jackets, graphic tees with distracting patterns, etc. I have a relatively small chest but if I’m layering a zip-up hoodie with a (fake) leather jacket, the fact that it’s not flat isn’t visible at all. A lot of people recommend sports bras but those can actually cause the same type of damage to your ribs as binders do, so I’d stay clear of them. 

So I’ve been over the physical risks, but there’s a mental downside too. Continuing to compress or otherwise disguise your chest does get you accustomed to it, which in the long-term can make your dysphoria worse. It completely goes against what the trans community recommends, but you need to know that not binding and not using “binding alternatives” is an option. I had to stop using regular binders because of the damage to my ribs, and had to take a break from k-tape too for other reasons. My dysphoria isn’t cured but I have gotten more used to my chest being there, or at least gotten better at ignoring it without “help”. Every time I put on a binder for even just a few minutes, I feel so much worse once I take it off because I’m changing my standards for what my body looks like. If you’re interested in harm reduction that’s really great and I’ll give you all the advice I can, but you need to know that it’s only harm reduction. The only way to completely stop doing harm to your body is to stop binding* completely, and that might just be less horrible than you think. 

[jonathanclarkphysiotherapy]

Kinesiology Taping

At Jonathan Clark Physiotherapy, our therapists are trained in using Kinesiology Taping techniques to help enhance recovery!

K-tape has been shown to help:

- Enhance posture

- Improve movement patterns

- Increase proprioception

- Increase blood flow

- Reduce pain

- Reduce swelling

[discyours]

My mental health is shit and I want to rip my skin off but I finally managed to tape my chest in a way that makes it look almost completely flat from certain angles and that’s like, really keeping me going man. 

[discyours]

Transtape

My dysphoria is killing me, so while I previously gave up on the idea of binding with trans tape (as people told me it was unsafe) I’ve been researching it like hell for the past few days. I see a lot of people asking about transtape so let me save you the trouble by sharing what I’ve found. This is not a review, just all the information I’ve found on this product and company. Some misinformation I’ve seen repeated more than once is that transtape is different from k-tape. People repeat that transtape was developed specifically for binding for trans men, by a trans man. And while that’s technically not wrong, the actual origin of transtape went something like this: Trans man tries to bind with kinesio tape. Trans man fails as his chest is too big for it. Trans man founds company to make wider strips of kinesio tape. The website itself refers to transtape as a kinesiology tape, and admits that it works the exact same way.

Transtape is made out of a pretty standard 95% cotton, 5% spandex blend with a “medical grade” adhesive (source). Again, none of this is any different than k-tapes you’ll find in stores. The only difference is that transtape is wider and isn’t pre-cut into strips. Everything else is the exact same. This isn’t a criticism of the product but people who claim that it’s somehow better for your skin are just plain wrong.  So while their tape is just a variant of k-tape, they sell other products too. They sell removal oil and a healing salve, both of which are heavily marketed as they really push the importance of taking care of your skin. Now, this in itself is fine. The problem is that both of these products contain DoTerra essential oils. DoTerra is a MLM (multilevel marketing scheme) that the owner is involved in. This company is not FDA regulated, essential oils have no proven benefits, however they have been known to cause skin irritation in some people. Putting this into a product marketed to treat skin irritation (caused by your other product) is beyond scummy. There’s also no warning on the skin irritation advice page to stop using the tape when your skin is broken open. The page does contain a link to the owner’s partner’s DoTerra page, however.  There have been claims that TransTape is owned by discriminant.co (source), a company that knowingly sells clasp binders, which have been known to break ribs. This doesn’t say anything about the quality of transtape, but if it’s true you may want to avoid supporting that company.  I contacted TransTape with concerns about the long term effects it may have on skin elasticity and tissue sagging. I asked if any doctors had commented on the safety and effects of transtape. I got a (very timely and friendly) reply from Kaiyote (the owner) stating that the doctors at his top surgery consultations said there was no risk and no change in his skin elasticity. He also talked some more about skin care (including essential oils) and the importance of rest days. The response was much appreciated but for me it confirmed that this company has no official medical oversight.  I started researching this product to find out if it’s safe or not, and I didn’t really get any closer to finding out aside from realising transtape is no different than any other kinesio tape, which broadens the amount of sources I can look to. Assuming your stance on k-tape binding is neutral, transtape won’t be any worse of a product than any other and may be better (as in more effective) just because it’s a lot wider. If you do order from them, I urge you not to buy the removal oil or healing salve. You absolutely should use oil to remove the tape, but you can just use baby oil or even olive oil. The healing salve ingredients are listed on the website, you can easily find a comparable product elsewhere that doesn’t have skin irritants in it (and that doesn’t support a MLM).  I hope this post is useful for someone, if I got anything wrong please correct me. 

[physioworksaus]

How-To: Applying Kinesiology Tape

Kinesiology tape or K-Tape is a thin, stretchy, elastic cotton strip with an acrylic adhesive. Therapeutic kinesiology tape that can benefit a wide variety of musculoskeletal and sports injuries, plus inflammatory conditions. There is an art to the application of kinesiology tape. You should seek the advice of a physiotherapist trained in the application of kinesiology tape, for the most effective taping techniques best for you and your condition. For some brief guidelines about applying Kinesiology Tape, click here.  Some K-Tapes available for purchase include:

Kinesiology Tape

SpiderTech Tape - Ankle

SpiderTech Tape - Calf and Arch

SpiderTech Tape - Hip

SpiderTech Tape - Lower Back 

SpiderTech Tape - Shoulder 

SpiderTech Tape - Neck 

#KinesiologyTape #KTape #HowToApplyKTape #AthleticTape #PhysioTape #SportsTape #KTTape #SpiderTechTapes 

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[thereschocolateonmykeyboard]

Taped my knees. At the moment I feel like I should tape my whole body (at least my elbow, shoulder(s), wrists, possibly belly), but K-tape is kind of expensive, so I'll keep it to my knees for now.

[pamandflash]

Adventures in Equine K-tape

Adventures in Equine K-tape

Flash has shown very positive results with the use of K-tape or Kinesiology taping. I started using it on his patella regions on both sides giving support specifically to the lateral patella ligaments. I did not notice a vast improvement so I then tried a flower pattern over each hip and did notice improvement! So I knew I was on the right track. The most recent attempt was the basket weave…

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