Cleveland, OH - Thanks to recent advances in tape technology, more cardiologists are now recommending that their patients undergo early open-heart kinesiology taping rather than more invasive surgical procedures.
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| A team of Certified Cardiokinesiology Taping Practitioners (CCTP) made up of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and physical therapists, shown here taking a break during an open-heart kinesiology taping of a man with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy |
"Nobody is arguing that opening the chest in order to access the heart directly is a minor surgery," Mort Fishman, MD, Chief of Integrative Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic explained. "But the potential complications associated with precision kinesiology taping of heart muscles or valves are far fewer and much less severe than those of an incision into heart muscle or a valve replacement, and that is especially true when compared to the long term problems commonly encountered after heart transplant."
Kinesiology tape is more traditionally linked with the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and erectile dysfunction. The tape's adhesoelastic properties have also been shown to improve athletic performance by boosting muscle function by over a quartile in some studies. In a similar fashion, cardiokinesiology taping supports heart muscle without limiting heart rate or stroke volume, and promotes healing by improving lymphatic drainage and oxygenation of injured tissue.
Open-heart surgery will still have a place in the treatment of certain serious heart conditions. According to Fishman, integrative cardiothoracic surgery combines traditional Western surgical practices with alternative approaches. "I'm still going to be performing the occasional bypass or thrombectomy. This approach really is the best of both worlds because it truly supports the body's natural healing processes.
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