Providing Relief With KAATSU For Tendinitis

For who? Baby Boomers, white & blue collar employees, aestheticians, dentists, drivers, carpenters, athletes with tendinitis
For what? Rehabilitation, recovery, relief, functional movement, mobility

To understand how KAATSU works for tendinitis, it is good to recall the anatomy of the body.

ANATOMY

  1. Our body has a very extensive vascular system including arteries, veins and capillaries. If these arteries, veins and capillaries were stretched from end to end, one human’s vascular system would wrap around the earth two times. Our capillaries are ubiquitous and very small, some of them so small that only one blood cell can pass through at a time.
  2. Our body parts range from capillary-rich (abundant vascular tissue) to capillary-poor (less abundant vascular tissue). We have capillary-rich (abundant) organs (e.g., kidneys, brain), muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons. Ligaments and tendons are capillary-poor, but there is still blood supply.
  3. Poor blood supply normally leads to slow healing time. The new blood vessels grow into the injured area to allow the healing process to speed up and bring vital nutrients into the area including with ligaments and tendons.

PHYSIOLOGY
Progressive KAATSU Cycles enables extremely efficient blood pooling in the limbs. Progressive KAATSU Cycles means users start off with low pressures and gradually build up to higher pressures. This allows the vascular tissue to slowly become more elastic. This increased elasticity enables the desired maximum blood pooling, not only while the bands are on, but also for hours afterwards. This is what you want.

Dr. Cory Keirn says,

“-itis…is just angry tissue from being used too much. It is inflamed and if continued use, it will turn into tendonosis, which complicates things. KAATSU can do many things, but there are two specific benefits that can help this type of injury:

  1. KAATSU can help flush out the inflammation and speed up the inflammatory process. It is kind of like heat/ice or contrast baths, KAATSU can remove the pooling of cytokines and keep the process going quickly.
  2. We develop epicondylitis in our elbows and knees because we use too much of our distal extremities to initiate power movements. As we fatigue, we rely heavily on just ‘muscling through it’ and we don’t properly engage our trunk prior to moving. In essence, we are firing a cannon out of a canoe. You need a solid base to create explosions.

With KAATSU, you can improve your trunk muscle (glutes, abs, chest) control and response by engaging the fast twitch fibers. While swimming, once you initiate the stroke and pull with a properly engaged core, less strain will be applied to the elbows.”

Similar to the protocols used by individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome, individuals with tendinitis can follow standard KAATSU protocols that can be done at home and with either the KAATSU Master 2.0, KAATSU Cycle 2.0, KAATSU Nano, KAATSU C3 or KAATSU B1 models.

Frequency
KAATSU Cycles can be done up to 3 sessions per day. An ideal schedule would be to do in the morning before going to work and while you prepare for work as you get ready, drink coffee, eat breakfast or catch up on the daily news. Then, later in the afternoon, and most importantly, in the evening before you go to bed.

Progressive KAATSU Cycles
Start with the lowest possible SKU pressure in the KAATSU Cycle mode (the only mode that you should use). Do a full KAATSU Cycle on the lowest pressure. You can continue with the lowest pressure – or you can slightly increase the pressure to the Medium pressure setting. Continue with the Medium setting unless you want to go higher to the High pressure setting or the Custom pressure setting.

KAATSU Color
As you continue with the Progressive KAATSU Cycles, the color of your skin on your palm and hands should go from your normal skin color to slightly pink to rosy pink to red. As the highest levels while the maximum amount of blood engorges in your arms, the color of your skin can even go to a slight purplish color. Your veins will become more visible at the blood pools in your arms.

Duration
During each of your KAATSU sessions, you can do up to 6 KAATSU Cycles on your arms – and a similar number of KAATSU Cycles on your legs as you wish.

Intensity
There is no need to do vigorous exercises or work intensely with KAATSU Air Bands on in order to help alleviate the discomfort. Simple or minimal movement are actually preferred.

Movement
Movement and specific exercises are optional. However, wearing KAATSU Air Bands while doing KAATSU Cycles and moving gently is optimal – including going for a simple walk or doing stretches. Movements that your physical therapist recommends, while using the KAATSU Air Bands, are best.

Recommendations

  • Be well hydrated before and during KAATSU.
  • Start off with very low (conservative) SKU pressures and, very gradually, increase pressures (SKU) to higher levels.
  • There is no need to push yourself too hard or use too high pressure in the beginning. Take it easy and take it slowly.
  • Always have a pinker or redder tone to your skin than normal – this indicates blood pooling in your limbs during KAATSU which is one of the key goals.