Moving Through It with Some Support from Body Helix

 “Disclaimer: I received a Body Helix Knee Compression Sleeve to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember that I have what I refer to as a dodgy knee. The technical term for what my issues is actually, Osteoarthritis, which I was diagnosed with about 15 years ago, so I am no stranger to various methods of both knee support combined with varying degrees of pushing though the pain and denial. But mostly, I try to be a good girl (hi Mom) and take care of my dodgy knee so I can keep running. So yeah, finding a good knee support is something that has always been important to me to keep me moving through it. 

It became especially important to me in the last few months because I was training a lot on trail for an Ultra and the extra wear and tear of elevation changes and uneven surfaces have been havoc on my knee. I'm not gonna lie, I've struggled a bit, even with using my usual Kinesiology Sports Tape (which has actually started to really irritate my skin lately - has anyone else had this problem?.

Anyway, with a really aggressive race season coming up (seriously, I have WAY too many races on my Spring Calendar 9 races of varying distances in the next 2 months) I was getting a bit worried about how I would hold up. Enter Body Helix Full Knee Compression Sleeve to the rescue! 

First off, I have to mention just how fast my order arrived. I received an email from Body Helix confirming my order. The same day I got another saying it had shipped. I received it 2 days later, which was awesome, just in time for my weekend long trail run. It actually came on a Friday, so I decided to take it right out for a run to make sure that it would feel good before committing to wearing it for a 15 mile run. And how did it work for me?

What about you? Can you tell which leg
has the Knee Compression Sleeve on it?
Let me know in the comments.

Pretty darn awesome to tell the truth. First off, it's super easy to slide on. It stretches a lot, but once in position compresses and stays in place. There's a handy sizing chart on their website to make sure you order the correct fit. It's also super thin, which I was concerned about when I first ordered the sleeve. See, it's winter right now and my running wardrobe consists mainly of tights currently and I wondered how bulky this would be under tights. Not at all! In fact, you wouldn't even know I was wearing them. I actually posted a pic of my legs on Twitter asking people to guess which knee had the sleeve on it and it was pretty impossible to tell. 

The first thing I noticed when running with it was that it seemed to generate a sort of heat. Like not in a distracting way, but in a, hey that feels nice kind of way. It provided awesome support, wasn't awkward when bending my knee and I felt pretty great throughout the run. 

Anticipating no issues, I was enthused about taking it out on the trails the next day. And it worked out great! Snug, supportive and a much better option than tape. Plus, a serious added benefit over tape is that the sleeve is reusable. In fact, it is machine washable and dry which is a HUGE plus for me. 

I've been using it regularly for about a month now, including my trail training and a super HILLY road race last week, and have been really impressed with how it works for me. And my run bestie, Kim, recently clued me into using it for things other than running, which, duh, hadn't occurred to me for some reason, so I have started using it on heavy cardio and lower body strength days at Burn Boot Camp as well. 

Body Helix makes a wide variety of compression products so if you have an injury, recurring pain or a joint disease like osteoarthritis like me, no matter what part of your body, odds are they have something that will help you. Check out their wide product range here: https://bodyhelix.com/shop/. And for a bit of added incentive, you can use this discount code to save 15% off your order: BH15BR. Plus, not that it is important really, but let's be honest, it low key is - they come in all kinds of cute colors. I just love my pretty teal sleeve! Super cute and super functional. 

Some of my other BibRave crew have tried out other compression products as well and you can read their reviews here:

Kim - https://barkingmadaboutrunning.blogspot.com/2020/02/living-with-osteoarthritis-body-helix.html
Corey - https://husbandfatherathletemarathoner.blogspot.com/2020/03/my-body-helix-arm-compression-sleeve.html

Michelle - http://www.runningwithattitude.com/2020/02/body-helix-thigh-compression-sleeve-review.html

Two of the smiling BibRave Pros are rocking Body Helix Knee Sleeves, Kim in the middle and me on the right

KT Tape Review: Finding the Support For You

“Disclaimer: I received KT Tape to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

Recently I was afforded the amazing opportunity to test out several different products from KT Tape. Now, I have been previously diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my left knee which is a fancy way to say it hurts to use my knee for long periods of time, so suffice to say I am no stranger to KT Tape. I have been using their Cotton Tape with what is referred to as the full knee support tape style for a while now with great success.

With some new products to play with, I began my quest to find the perfect KT Tape product and taping combination best for me.

First stop was the KT Tape website, which has tons of amazing information and tips. My favorite part, the How To Apply section. So many videos on so many different tape styles! There were 5 that focused on knees! I had been using the Full Support tape for awhile, so I decided to try something new. I decided to try the Inner Knee tape because that is where my pain primary is. So I busted out new roll of KT Tape Pro and taped up. The video instructions were super easy to follow.

Pro - Inner Knee

For my trial of this new Inner Knee tape job, I wore it for Leg Day for my Burn Boot Camp class and then for 2 run of 4 miles each for a total of 4 days of wear. The Pro lasted great and I probably could have worn it for a few more days no problem, but I decided that they Inner Knee style wasn't quite working for me. It did give me some support and I was way better than wearing nothing, but I felt there was a better option for me.

Cotton Tape - 
Modified Full Support

Next, after consulting the videos and a friend of mine that is a PT, I decided to go back to the Full Knee Support but with a slight tweak. I added a half strip on the outside of my knee in a "C" shape to kind of pull the knee cap from left to right. For this, I went back to my tried and true Cotton Tape (tbh, that decision was mostly based on how cute the pink Cotton Tape was.)

For this trial, it was long run day, 10 miles. I LOVED THIS TAPING! I ended up wearing it for 3 more days for an Athletic Conditioning class and another 3 mile run. This was it, this was the perfect taping for me!!

Gentle Tape

I then decided to try out the Gentle Tape, because, frankly I can be a wuss when it comes to removing KT Tape. The Gentle Tape is also cotton and has less aggressive adhesive for easier removal. So I taped up with my modified Full Support style and hit the gym. The tape held for my workout just fine, but started peeling off when I was changing, so I don't think it is my best option as I like to wear my tape for multiple days. Maybe if worn in a less sweaty place (my legs get pretty drenched tbh) or a place that didn't move quite as much (seriously, you knees do nothing but move when running) it would have worked better. I love that KT has this option even if it didn't work best for me. I'm sure it is someone else out there's favorite product.

WINNER!

So, I decided to try out what I considered the best of both worlds for my trials. I did my Modified Full Support taping with the KT Pro and DING DING DING, we have a winner!! I wore this taping for a Half Marathon last weekend and I'm not saying that it was 100% the reason that I hit a 5 min PR, but it certainly helped! I wore this taping for the race, then for wandering around a museum, then a for a rest day and for 2 more days of Burn Boot Camp and short runs. All in all, I wore this tape for 5 days and it kept me supported and happy throughout. This is the combo that will be my go to for now on for sure!

KT Tape also offers a Pro Extreme version with extra strength adhesive which I haven't tried yet, but I plan to use this summer when the SC humidity kicks it up a notch out there. How awesome is it that they literally have an option for everyone?

Two other quick things that I wanted to mention that I really love about KT Tape. First is that the strips come pre-cut for convenience. I've used other brands that do not do this and I can never quite figure out the right length and end up wasting a ton. KT Tape being pre-cut takes out the guess work! Also, I love that the KT Tape Pro products all come in sturdy storage cases. LOVE THESE! Makes it so easy to store and carry with you!

Want to try out KT Tape for yourself? Visit them online at www.kttape.com and use the promo code BIBRAVE30 for a 30% discount.