Stay Flossin'
October 16th, 2021
Want a solution for cranky and stiff knees before and after training? Voodoo Floss could be the answer!
What is Voodoo floss??
In short, Voodoo Floss is a compression band that has been popularized by athletes and performance enthusiasts as a way to improve blood supply to an area and potentially improve performance and make you feel amazing. I was first introduced to "flossing" in Kelly Starrett's book, How to Be a Supple Leopard. I played around with it and tested it out with baseball pitchers after heavy throwing days (Bullpen / In-Game). They would wrap it around their elbow and go through a series of basic movements for 3-5 minutes. They loved it! After they took it off, they felt brand-new and wanted to do it every day. When I started working with hoops, I had several players with chronic knee pain / "tendonitis". In addition to other things, I started implementing the voodoo floss for the knees before practice. Most of them would come to do it before practice on their own, with overall improvement in pain, recovery, and how they feel.
Like other soft tissue / compression modalities used for warmup and recovery, a lot of the potential benefit could be the placebo effect. It feels good. You feel better. It must be doing something. From an actual research perspective, several studies over the past decade have shown a potential positive effect of using voodoo floss for different aspects of performance such as improved power, mobility, flexibility, recovery, and psychological benefits. One recent study published in 2020 showed that "flossing bands caused a reduction in perceived knee pain and improved vertical jump performance in young male recreational athletes" (1). A second study showed that "perceptions of flexibility increased more for the Voodoo Floss Band group, demonstrating a psychological increase in gleno-humeral flexion, but not actually a physical increase"(2). In addition, two studies have shown that voodoo floss has an improvement in ankle dorsiflexion ROM (3,4). Finally, one study demonstrated that an acute compression band treatment following eccentric training can elicit improved recovery and decrease the effects of DOMS (5). From the research, the actual mechanisms of why voodoo floss work have not been fully demonstrated, but is has been shown to slightly improve mobility and soreness, and from my experience, there is definitely a psychological aspect to add this.
How to Use it?
Here is a simple routine to use before activity / practice / or on a recovery day:
- Wrap evenly around the top and bottom of the knee. From first hand experience and athlete input, you shouldn't allow the floss to go directly over the kneecap (patella) as you won't be able to bend your knee and move properly (Voodoo Floss Model: Aaron Carver)
- Tuck the strap under the previously wrapped portion to hold it in place.
- Walk around or do a series of low impact knee flexion movements such as Squats, TKEs, Seated Knee Flexions, and Lunges. The goal is not to complete a workout or get an intense sweat during this activity.
- Keep on for a total 3-5 minutes and take off
Takeaway: Using Voodoo Floss feels great, has some science behind potential physical benefits, is relatively cheap, can be done with no help, and will take less than 5 minutes. It probably should be in your list of modalities to try!
For further explanations on Voodoo Floss and a ton more on movement & mobility , check out Kelly Starrett's How to Be a Supple Leopard.
Thanks for reading and please share if you found value.
Follow me on social media for more tips on how to Be Elite Daily!
