I sprained a toe during kendo on Monday night. It’s been years, but ever since practicing barefoot on foam mats and getting repeated sprains, it seems my toe ligaments aren’t what they used to be. What an unhappy thing to be reminded of. I buddy taped the toe and finished out the practice, but when I hit the shower that night my toe looked pretty similar to the photo above: red, bruised, and very unhappy.
Fortunately, I have KAATSU, so on it went. The next morning the pain was significantly reduced and by Tuesday evening the colour was back to normal. Tonight, I can hardly tell there was ever a sprain. Nice.
You may wonder why KAATSU can help a sprain. Well, KAATSU improves blood flow which helps speed the body’s own healing processes. When the limb is engorged with blood while KAATSU bands are compressed, the damaged tissues receive more blood and nutrients.
KAATSU use has also been demonstrated to reduce inflammation in the body, as measured by levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP). I didn’t have to use an NSAID to reduce the pain levels from my sprained toe. KAATSU is my drug-free pain reliever of choice.
I’m happy to have my toe feeling sprain-free. You don’t realize how much you rely on your toes until one of them is injured. Tomorrow I’ll be back in the dojo without limi-toe-tions 😉
Disclaimer: KAATSU protocols have not been evaluated by Health Canada. KAATSU is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and its use should be evaluated by your own physician before use.