Sports Taping can give you the security you need to stay on the field and avoid those niggling injuries.
Pulled muscles, tendons, sprains or tissue injuries are some of the most common complaints that sports people have while performing, taping can help.
Athletic sports taping involves applying tape directly to the skin to stabilise and neautralise vulnerable muscles, joints and ligaments.
First seen in the 1970’s taping is most commonly used by athletes while they are partaking in a physical activity. While sports’ taping is not seen as a guarantee against injury it can have a number of benefits.
Types of sports taping
There are commonly 2 sub categories of sports tape
Supportive Taping
This sports tape most commonly found in change rooms and medical kits. Strong, rigid and minimal elastic properties this is commonly use to tape ankles, knees, shoulders, elbows and wrists.
Elastoplast tape is the main supplier in Australia and major sporting clubs can spend thousands of dollars per year maintaining their stocks.
Both Males and Females playing sports such as Australian Rules football, Rugby, Soccer, Basketball and Netball are likely to use sports tape and will typically apply before the game and take it off directly after the game.
Kinesiology Taping
Kinesiology tape comes in a variety of different colours. It has a very different look and feel to supportive tape – A thin, stretchy, elastic cotton strip and one sided adhesive, it is designed to move with your body, not restrict joint, ligaments or muscles.
Kinesiology tape allows your lymphatic and venous drainage systems to drain and heal swollen or bruised tissue quicker. Kinesiology tape also helps to realign areas of the body before, during and after exercise.
Benefits of Using Sports Taping
- Muscle, joint and ligament Support
- Swelling Reduction
- Rehabilitation
- Alignment
- Psychological benefit, security – Could be seen as a placebo affect
- Blood circulation
“It is better to be safe than sorry”
Sports Taping – Things to remember
Sports tape cannot be regarded as a permanent fix or guarantee against injury.
Principally, sports tape is a fantastic way to reinstate confidence in an athlete’s ability to perform at their best. Primarily though the objective of taping is to provide an injury with additional support, but also to prevent further damage to the already injured body part.
An athlete with a sore ankle is likely to favor the other ankle or subconsciously protect their injured ankle by not performing at maximum capability.
Certain policies at elite sporting clubs mean that it is mandatory for all players to have their ankles taped (as a preventative measure), while other clubs will only use tape to protect existing sore spots.
It is likely that if you are involved in a sporting club at any level, club osteopath or health professionals will recommend taping as a preventative measure, however, it may be best to visit a health clinic in order to identify if there are any underlying issues to be aware of.
If you wish to find out more about sport taping, or would like to make the most of our free taping service contact us on (03) 9369 9766.
