Athletic taping using adhesive tape is a popular treatment for repetitive stress injuries, and especially for those resulting from sports activity. Taping is commonly used by sports physiotherapists for unstable knees or ankles. It is also a popular option to treat soft tissue injuries such as muscle or ligament sprains in ankles, knees and other joints. Compared to using an orthopedic brace, taping helps the patient maintain or improve proprioception in an injured joint. When used on athletes, taping will interfere less with the range of motion and overall freedom of movement. It is a low profile alternative to bracing that you can wear under clothing or footwear. You can also wear it while competing or training. In general, and maybe for many of these reasons, serious athletes prefer athletic taping to orthopedic bracing as a therapeutic or preventative solution. However, taping can also pose problems to be overcome. In this post, we compare the pros & cons of taping vis-a-vis bracing. We also suggest which situations are more suitable for either technique.
Pros of Athletic Taping vs Bracing
Athletic taping brings many key benefits relative to bracing. You can more easily adapt it to the individual shape of the patient’s ankle, knee joint, etc. In addition, there are many types of tape with varying strengths. You can use athletic tape to provide different levels of support to an injured joint. A rayon backed strapping tape like DynaPro Rigid Athletic Tape provides the highest level of support available from an athletic tape. Zinc oxide athletic tape like DynaPro Porous Zinc Oxide Tape provides an intermediary level of support. Light elastic tape such as DynaPro StretchLight provides a somewhat lower level of support albeit with a higher comfort level. The strength of the tape to apply depends, among other things, on the severity of the injury. Stronger tapes are generally required for more severe injuries.
From a cosmetic point of view, athletic tape comes in many different colors. You can choose the color to match a team’s colors or just to satisfy individual fashion taste.
Compared to custom orthopedic bracing, athletic taping is an inexpensive option. It may cost just a few dollars per roll whereas the cost of custom bracing may run to hundreds of dollars or more.
Disadvantages of Athletic Tape
Perhaps the key disadvantage of athletic taping is the fact that it requires much more specialist training than bracing does. It is not something that parents or coaches should do without the required training. Incorrect taping may actually exacerbate an injury and so do more harm than good.
Taping may also require considerable time to apply, particularly when treating larger or more contoured body parts.
In addition,. taping does not provide support for as long as orthopedic bracing. The athlete’s movement and perspiration tend to cause the binding elements in the tape to break down. As a result, even a good taping job will eventually require replacement. This can and sometimes does happen more than once during a match or training session.
Finally, although relatively cheap on a “per roll” basis, a large team can go through hundreds or thousands of rolls per season, making it a more expensive proposition than it may initially appear to be.
Elastic therapeutic tape, also called kinesiology tape or kinesiology therapeutic tape, Kinesio tape, k-tape, or KT is an elastic cotton strip with an acrylic adhesive that is purported to ease pain and disability from athletic injuries and a variety of other physical disorders.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Elastic_therapeutic_tape
helps the patient maintain or improve proprioception in an injured joint. When used on athletes, taping will interfere less with the range of motion and overall freedom of movement. It is a low profile alternative to bracing that you can wear under clothing or footwear.
Typically, tape provides the greatest support only in the first 20 minutes. In addition, there are other advantages to bracing over taping. Braces are reusable and more cost effective in the long run. In comparison, traditional taping can cost up to three times more than a brace over the course of a season.
In general, the smaller, bonier bits of the body – like thumbs, fingers, toes, and wrists – are best supported by tape. These small bits of the body are meant to be mobile, something that tape can provide. Alternatively, areas that support the weight of the body, like knees and ankles, will benefit from bracing.
Braces can be a useful tool in pain management, providing support, stability, and pain relief. However, they also have some drawbacks, including dependency and limited mobility. It is important to consult with a healthcare provider to determine the best course of treatment for each individual case.
Incorrect taping may actually exacerbate an injury and so do more harm than good. Taping may also require considerable time to apply, particularly when treating larger or more contoured body parts. In addition,. taping does not provide support for as long as orthopedic bracing.
Support: The right athletic tape can provide support to the knee joint and muscles, which is essential for injury prevention and recovery. It can help stabilize the knee joint and prevent excessive movement that can further damage the injury.
Rigid Tape: Rigid tape, also known as non-elastic or zinc oxide tape, provides strong support and stability. It is ideal for immobilizing the wrist joint and limiting excessive movement. Rigid tape is commonly used for more severe injuries or during the later stages of rehabilitation.
The doctor may give you a prescription for a particular model of wrist brace. Generally, you should wear this brace sparingly during the day, especially when you overwork your hands. However, wear it continuously at night as you sleep until symptoms disappear.
Ankle braces may also lose some of their support and loosen up during or after exercise, but they can be easily readjusted, which takes less time than re-taping your ankle. Ankle braces further help stabilize and support ankle joints, avoid future injuries, reduce pain and swelling, and avoid future injuries.
Another disadvantage of magnetic tape as a storage medium is its susceptibility to physical and environmental damage. This may lead to data loss, data alteration, and/or permanent tape damage.
However, taping does have its down side. Long term taping can lead the athlete to becoming reliant upon the tape to provide the support for the joint. Long term taping can also decrease stabilising muscle strength and weaken the joint.
Are there any downsides to using kinesiology tape? The major downside is skin irritation. The tape may create blisters and skin damage, so it should not be put on open wounds or used on people who have very frail skin, like older patients.
By enhancing this sense, you can improve balance and help better control your feet and ankles during sport activity. Some types of taping also add compression to the joint to reduce swelling following an ankle or foot injury and lower the risk of reinjury.
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