More Cardiologists Recommend Open-Heart Kinesiology Taping

Cleveland, OH - Thanks to recent advances in tape technology and application, more cardiologists are now recommending that their patients with heart disease undergo early open-heart kinesiology taping in the hope of preventing the need for more invasive and risky surgical procedures.

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 ever 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 injured or diseased 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 a heart transplant."

Kinesiology tape, which has historically been associated with the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and maybe erectile dysfunction, is increasingly being investigated as a potential therapeutic intervention for a variety of health conditions. The tape's adhesoelastic properties have been shown to improve athletic performance, for example, by boosting muscle function by over a quartile in some studies. In a similar fashion, properly applied cardiokinesiology taping supports cardiac muscle without limiting heart rate or stroke volume, and promotes healing by improving lymphatic drainage and oxygenation of heart tissue.

Classic open-heart surgery will still have a place in the treatment of certain serious heart conditions, however. According to Fishman, integrative cardiothoracic surgery combines traditional Western surgical practices with alternative approaches like open-heart taping, open-heart acupressure, and open-heart Reiki. "Don't worry, I'm still going to be performing the occasional bypass or thrombectomy. But this approach really is the best of both worlds because it truly supports the body's natural healing processes and gives my patients more options and ultimately more control over their own health."