Knap’man in physiotherapy
Jochen Habsch, sports physician and expert on kinetic elastic taping, has tested Knap’man in detail for its use as addition to taping in daily life.
During the last period of time, I had the opportunity to test the functions of the new Knap’man shapewear shirts (in the past, I tested other shapewear brands with my patients).
Unpacking the shirts I was positively surprised, the shirt feels high-quality, soft and comfortable. This impression was confirmed whilst wearing. With shapewear shirts of other brands we often detected skin irritations (even rubbing spots at the shoulders), these side-effects did not appear with Knap’man. The shirts fit very well and are comfortable to wear. The fabric is comparatively thin and the shirts just disappear under normal polo shirts. The stitches are nearly invisible and the smooth surface of the shirts prevents folding and crinkles. The shirts stay in perfect shape even after multiple washings.
We cannot make a statement on the ‘belly-minimizing’ effect because we only use shapewear for therapeutic aims. The effects on posture improvement are definitely better than with other shapewear brands.
In my daily life I see a lot of back pain and pain issues which originate from incorrect posture and pressure on body-supporting and movement systems. In contrast to the public opinion most of these issues are not based on an incident, like a herniated disc, but are the result of incorrect posture and incorrect use of muscles.
These issues can be alleviated through shapewear.
Physiotherapy and manual therapy can be supported through shapewear in daily life. Of all shapewear brands we tested Knap’man suits our needs best.
The compression zone in the back straightens up the body. As soon as the body leaves his ideal position, it gets a neurophysiological input, comparable with the working of taping. For example if the shoulders fall forward or the lumbar region leaves it’s normal shape the shirt gives an impulse to the body to straighten up. The Body Encircled Compression is a balanced system which improves body posture effectively and long-lasting. This is one of the advantages of shapewear compared to classical support systems.
Comparable to taping the body is not passively supported, but the regulation of the tonicity gets stimulated. This is a big advantage compared to static support. The neurophysiological system undergoes a learning proces whilst wearing shapewear. The effects of that learning process are long-lasting. Additionally, this correction is not limited to one small area, but it has positive influences on the total body coordination. These effects make the shirt very suitable for sportsmen to correct posture problems and prevent damage on supporting systems and movement systems.
But shapewear is also useful during long periods of standing or sitting to prevent muscle tension and back pain.
Another effect that really stood out in our test was the anti-odor protection of the shirt. Probably due to the silver-ions which are used in the fabric the shirt prevents body odour.
The new Knap’man shirt is a real improvement and definitely a recommendation.
Jochen Habsch
Jochen Habsch is a sports physician and one of the top experts in Germany for kinetic elastic taping and the improvement of body posture through taping. His book “Kompaktkurs kinetische Tapes” has been on rank 1 for more than 18 months in the bestselling-list of orthopedic and sports medical science. More information at www.tapekurse.de and www.habsch.de
