"It's a miracle that he survived.": Decapitated Flavor Flav Saved by Quick Thinking Physical Therapist

Lake Placid, NY - Legendary rapper and founding member of Public Enemy Flavor Flav, who was decapitated in March during a skeleton run at the Lake Placid Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, has been downgraded from dead to fair by his medical team.

A physical therapist certified by the Kinesiology Taping Association International's neurosurgical division, shown here using an alternating oblique tug pattern on a patient whose head was recently caught in an elevator door

"The skeleton events are definitely some of the most exciting in all of competitive sports," USA skeleton head coach Alexander Gassner, a former German Olympic athlete who took over the position in July, explained. "The adrenaline rush from sliding headfirst down a frozen track at more than eighty miles per hour is something you just don't forget. You also don't forget watching Flavor Flav's head cross the finish line a full second before the rest of his body. It's a miracle that he survived."

After having his head ripped from his body when his signature clock necklace caught on a part of the ice covered track's steel support structure as he hurtled past, attempts to revive Flav were believed to be futile and he was initially declared dead at the scene. According to Mort Fishman, MD, a neurologist who specializes in brain injures in elite athletes and minor celebrities, the team physical therapist's decision to attempt reattaching the head to the body with kinesiology tape likely saved the rapper's life. "This is why I always keep a roll in my pocket wherever I go, because when it comes to decapitation every minute that goes by decreases the chance of recovery by a lot. Yes, in my right pocket. Right front."

Kinesiology tape has a long history of use in the management of certain health conditions, such as sore shoulders, erectile dysfunction, and heart failure, but theoretically could be helpful in many more. The adhesoelastic properties of the tape, which were discovered accidentally by Olympic athletes using it cover up inappropriate tattoos, have been shown to improve muscle function by more than a quartile in some studies. When properly applied, by either a certified practitioner or the chosen one foretold in the Prophecy of the Ancients, kinesiology tape could aid in head reattachment by improving lymphatic drainage and tissue oxygenation.

Though the news of Flav's recovery from the injury is good, he still has a long way to go before taking to the stage, or the skeleton track, again. And neurosurgery will still play an important role in the treatment of head loss in the foreseeable future. According to Fishman, a blending of ancient tape wisdom with modern Western surgical techniques is the future of both replacing a head that was accidentally separated from the body and in getting a new head when the old one starts looking old and gross. "Kinesiology tape isn't magic. It is backed by real science. And that science is something pretty special and unique. You might even call it magic. And at the end of the day, we could all use a bit more magic in our lives."