The gold standard of care for sports injury has always been R.I.C.E. which calls for rest, ice, compress, elevate. Many people are still resting and icing after they hurt themselves. But compression has since been forgotten. Even when compression was in, it wasn’t very aggressive – more like a little hug. Voodoo floss is extreme compression for a short time.

Silly name, simple concept. Explained easily, you wrap the injury really tightly with a thick rubber band and then move the body part around a lot for a couple minutes and then you take it off and feel better. Stupid simple. Much like some of the best things in life! There are many aspects of anatomy and physiology at work in this short process that can account for the benefits.

Voodoo Floss helps break up intramuscular adhesions to allow for greater mobility and blood supply to an area. By squeezing the muscle in a tight wrap, then forcing it through a full range of motion, friction between muscle fibers sheers and creates motion where motion was not present. Great for areas that foam rolling and lacrosse ball techniques can’t address with the same quick, do-it-yourself healing concept.

When you release the band after a treatment, a rush of fresh blood washes through the muscle and joint; this not only brings nutrients for growth and healing but also clearing away the idle and stagnant body fluids that might become isolated from a current or past injury. This works wonders to aid the healing of sprained, strained, inflamed and aggravated tissue. For swollen areas, this can decrease the edema and promote lymphatic drainage.

There is also tremendous benefit to practicing a full and pain free active range of motion in a painful area. The Central Nervous System naturally adapts quickly to pain and injury causing guarding, splinting and reciprocating in order to protect the area and decrease discomfort. This is great at first, but problematic if this response is drawn out into a length of time or even becomes permanent. One of the first things you may notice when tying off the floss and moving the area is the sweet relief of being able to move without hurting! This will reprogram your neurons to forget about the CNS response of guarding and begin to remember what it is like to move freely throughout your fully active range of motion.

There is also a beneficial local endocrine hormone response to temporary occlusion, resulting in increased Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Nitrous Oxide (NO), two messengers that lead to improved healing and recovery times.

This wonderful treatment should be performed often to get ahead of the problem at hand. (2-5 times daily) Otherwise, if you are feeling fine, it should be performed intermittently to prevent and avoid injury much like the prescribed use of your foam roller for self care. (2-3 times weekly)

Unfortunately, as great as this tool can be, there are some areas of the body that floss does NOT help. Please avoid dangerous anatomical areas of the head, neck and trunk!

Do Not Voodoo Floss: head, face, neck, chest, torso, abdomen or back.

 Use Voodoo Floss: shoulders, arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, hands, fingers, thighs/hamstrings, knee, calf, ankle and foot.

The Voodoo Floss Band is an essential performance tool and should be a staple in the gym bag of every athlete looking to improve range & restore joint mechanics. Try out a Voodoo Floss Treatment for an additional $10 at your next Chiropractic Adjustment and/or buy your own gear at Baltuska Chiropractic or purchase now online here.