Taping and Bandaging

Taping and Bandaging

  • Preventative taping
  • Taping for isolation of injury
  • Bandaging for immediate treatment of injury

Preventative Taping

  • Provides a first layer safety during contact sports involving explosive movements.
  • Focused on the joints since they are prone to injury due to high stress from vigorous activities.
  • Limits unwanted movement.
  • Example: preventive ankle tape

Taping for Isolation of Injury

  • Done to protect the injury from external harm, usually post-trauma or during the rehabilitation phase.
  • Even after taping, once rehabilitation initiates, simple strengthening exercises should be encouraged to avoid stiffness.

Bandaging for Immediate Treatment of Injury

  • Immediately applied after an injury using the RICER protocol.
  • As bandaging provides compression, swelling and bleeding are reduced.
  • Often elastic bandages are used for using non-injured sites as a support for parts that are injured.