Manual Technique of the Week - Lateral Taping of the Achilles
Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
I recently purchased the 'Mulligan Taping Techniques' DVD and have to say it was well worth the money. We've discussed many of these techniques previously as they've applied to holding joint mobilizations, but in the DVD there are many techniques to reposition tendons to alleviate tendinopathy symptoms and even the muscle belly in certain instances for muscle strains. I'll be showing a few of those techniques in the coming weeks, and a few more I've come up with using the Mulligan principles but were not on the DVD. That's the great thing about the DVD in my mind, you can take his ideas and run with them when it comes to addressing the specific needs of each individual patient.
To know that the taping will be effective, invert the calcaneus, laterally glide the achilles tendon, and have the patient plantarflex the ankle. If the patient reports a reduction in symptoms, then tape them.
It does work better if you have an extra set of hands so you can control the calcaneus while performing the glide. Many of the taping techniques in the DVD require 2 pair of hands. In my situation, and in the video, its just me so I'm not getting as much calcaneal inversion as I could but still very effective when indicated.
As I'm writing this, I'm thinking this could also be done standing and positioning the ankle in a more neutral position to achieve some degree of calcaneal inversion. I guess that will be next on my list of things to try. If any of you have done it this way in the past, or have found other 'improvements' on the technique, please let us know below.
Mulligan Taping Techniques is available at OPTP.com
Taping DVD
Often these mob's are counterintuitive.
Inversion
Inversion
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