Maybe you’ve seen fellow athletes using voodoo bands in the gym, but not sure what this magic tool does or how it works. With the rise in popularity of voodoo band flossing, I wanted to take some time to dig a little deeper and offer some guidance on how it all works.

There are many potential benefits of using compression tack and flossing (voodoo flossing) as a performance enhancing or rehabilitation tool. With the high movement and mobility demands typically seen in CrossFit, the Voodoo Band can be an excellent tool to support your training. Some of the potential benefits include:

• Improving range of motion and joint mobility in a position of restriction
• Reducing swelling and inflammation in a joint
• Reducing pain (can be particularly helpful for tennis elbow pain)
• Improving muscle contraction
• Restoring sliding surfaces
• Releasing trigger points

Another great benefit, you can use the voodoo band to create mobility while in the position you are trying to alter. This allows you to use the voodoo band to create positive change to movement and mobility, while moving into your areas of restriction.

How does the voodoo band work?

Use of compression and movement (or flossing) can work on many different levels. It incorporates all the mobility systems simultaneously, having the potential to effect multiple surrounding structures including muscles, tendons, joint capsules and nerves. This makes it challenging to know exactly how flossing is impacting the treated area.

Looking at flossing’s impact on mobility, Dr. Kelly Starrett uses a great explanation in his book Becoming a Supple Leopard. He compares the joint capsule and connecting musculature to a rubber band. Imagining a rubber band with a thick end (the joint capsule) and a thin end (muscles), your typical stretching and mobility work would create change in the area of least resistance, the muscles. Use of tools like the voodoo band can create a gapping or compression force around the wrapped area, helping create change within the thicker end of the rubber band, the joint capsule. Considering the joint capsule can often be a source of movement restriction, tools like the voodoo band can be essential to getting the most out of your mobility training.

How do I use the voodoo band?

When using the voodoo band, you generally wrap towards the heart. The goal is to create a large compression force around the restricted joint or tissue. To achieve this, start wrapping the band about 5cm below the area you are wanting to treat, aiming to finish wrapping about the same distance above the treatment location. For mobility, a stretch of around 75 percent can be applied to the band at the area you are treating, with 50 percent stretch around the remaining area. During wrapping, aim to keep a few centimetres overlap (half the width of the band). If you have any leftover band, additional compression can be applied by making an “X” over the treatment area.
Once the band is applied you can try moving into the position causing restriction, or moving the joint or limb in all possible directions. There are a few guidelines for knowing how long to keep the voodoo band on, however a general rule is to aim for around 2-3 minutes. If you feel any of the following during use, it would be advisable to remove the band:

• If your skin turns ghostly white, or when you touch the skin and the colour doesn’t return
• You begin to feel numbness or pins-and-needles
• You suddenly feel claustrophobic

It is normal to feel a little uncomfortable, especially during your first use. Following application, the skin can become quite red as blood flow returns to the treated area. You may even notice some leopard stripes (red marks) on your skin due to pinching from the band. If you feel unsure about the voodoo band flossing, or have any pre-existing conditions, you might want to talk to your healthcare provider before use.

What does the evidence say about voodoo band flossing?

To date, scientific research regarding voodoo band flossing is limited. Although there is a large amount of anecdotal support, there are very few studies investigating the effectiveness of flossing. Of the studies that do exist, many use small test groups, or are only looking at the impact of flossing on people without existing restrictions or injuries. In addition, understanding exactly what changes are happening to tissues and structures during flossing is lacking.

From the existing research, flossing appears to have the most impact on ankle mobility and performance. In particular, short-term increases in ankle dorsiflexion mobility (the mobility needed when squatting), improvement in single-leg jump performance and reduced ankle pain were noted following flossing. Studies investigating the effect of flossing on the shoulder and elbow joints are yet to show significant improvements in mobility or power, however increases in elbow mobility were noted in tennis players that had an existing mobility restriction.

Conclusions

At this stage it’s difficult to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of flossing, as reliable research is lacking. From my experience, the voodoo band is an excellent tool, especially for short-term treatment of pain or mobility restrictions around the elbow, ankle and knee.
If you haven’t experienced the effects of voodoo band flossing, I would highly recommend trying it out in your next warm-up or mobility session to feel the magic for yourself!

References

Starrett, K., & Cordoza, G. (2015). Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance. Victory Belt Publishing.

Ross, S., & Kandassamy, G. (2017). The Effects of ‘Tack and Floss’ Active Joint Mobilisation on Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion using Voodoo Floss Bands. Journal of Physical Therapy.

Borda, J., & Selhorst, M. (2017). The use of compression tack and flossing along with lacrosse ball massage to treat chronic Achilles tendinopathy in an adolescent athlete: a case report. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 25(1), 57-61.

Hodeaux, K. (2017). The Effect of Floss Bands on Elbow Range of Motion in Tennis Players (Doctoral dissertation, University of Arkansas).

Driller, M. W., & Overmayer, R. G. (2017). The effects of tissue flossing on ankle range of motion and jump performance. Physical Therapy in Sport, 25, 20-24.

Plocker, D., Wahlquist, B., & Dittrich, B. (2015). Effects of tissue flossing on upper extremity range of motion and power. In international journal of exercise Science: Conference proceedings (Vol. 12, No. 1, p. 37).