Here’s Everything You Must Know About Sports Tape!

Sports are incomplete without injuries and in order to get relief from injuries, sports tape are brought into application. Taping is a known method used by trainers while providing treatment and help in the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. There are different types of sports tape, varying from rigid to more flexible kinesiology that is also referred to as K-tape or the active tapes. To define, rigid tape stops the movement in joints and ligaments in order to attain stability and strength. By the application of rigid tapes, foregoing injuries are provided support and protection further preventing injuries that can take place while this tape is used during activity.

Strapping tape is taken into use by physiotherapists in order to prevent injuries or for providing rehabilitation. Leading physiotherapists are efficiently trained in the application of proper taping depending on the goals of treatment of the athlete. The physiotherapists can also teach the athlete how to apply the tape themselves so they can continue to experience the perks of it. The merits of taping depend on the type of injury. Mentioned below are some rules for applying tape:

1. Positioning: The limb or joint must be placed in a position that provides stability and comfort to the athlete. Joints are normally strapped while they are in the ‘neutral’ or functional resting position. Thus, positioning is one of the important things that must be considered when strapping.

2. Measurement: An appropriate thickness for the tape must be selected for the part that needs strapping. The size and musculature of the person who is being taped must be taken into consideration as the best-fitted tape will give the best results.

3. Boundary check: Natural anatomical boundaries must be followed while the tape is being applied. For instance, due to the conical shape of the limbs such as the calf muscle, perpendicular application of the tape leads to uneven pressures at the top and bottom portions of the tape.

4. Overlapping: One of the key considerations, each layer of tape must overlap the former layer by approximately a third to half the width of the tape.

5. Line of pull: A smooth and mould tape must be laid on the skin. The physiotherapist must be aware of the ‘line of pull’ method of the tape while it is being applied. Beginner strappers usually just lay down the tape in pre-known directions without giving a thought about what they’ll achieve by doing so.

6. Natural application: The tape must be molded to the anatomy of the area and should follow the line of the ligaments that need support. The trainer must allow the tape to fit the natural contours of body parts thus leading to the natural application of the tape.

All in all, whether the athlete is recovering from an injury or is using taping as an injury prevention technique, sports tape Australia can help in different ways such as helps to reduce pain by bracing movement detectors in the nerve, known as mechanoreceptors that restrict movement via pain receptors. Moreover, it restricts movements that may lead to further issues to an existing injury. Also, it upgrades the coordination of a joint that may get reduced by injury. Thus, proper taping techniques must be used in order to get the best results.