4 simple reasons you should use this as part of your injury management and prevention plan.

Using tape to provide supportive strapping to a joint is often used by Osteopaths to relieve pain, improve joint stability and prevent the occurrence or recurrence of injury in a vulnerable part of a patient’s body. Why do we use taping at Yarra Osteo and why should you consider implementing this as part of your injury management and prevention plan? Read on…

  1. Reduce pain

Taping an injured area often results in a reduction of pain. This can be applied not only to acute injures such as an ankle sprain but also for more chronic conditions such as knee osteoarthritis. The pain reduction is achieved via mechanisms such as reduced load on the joint and a reduction in swelling.

  1. Improve joint stability

This is a pretty clear one… Taping naturally restricts movement when applied which will improve the stability of a joint. Your osteopath will determine exactly how much restriction and therefore stability is required and tape accordingly. This leads us to our next point…

  1. Prevent occurrence/recurrence of injury

This reduction in range of motion naturally reduces the risk of injury. The joint is less likely to overstretch or over-mobilise which can lead to muscle and ligament damage. Taping also aids in joint proprioception (= stability). Sensory receptors in the skin underlying sports tape send messages to the brain which in turn makes the body subconsciously more aware of that joint’s susceptibility to injury, and of it’s position throughout any dynamic activity.

  1. Improve posture

Taping is not only utilised in athletic circumstances it can be a very useful aid in postural retraining. You may have read our past blog posts on improving posture and stretching at work. Many of us have no choice in this matter and as a result suffer with postural aches and pains. In this case rather than restricting a joints range of motion, taping is used as a cue to the body by utilising it’s sensory receptors. This will subconsciously make you more aware of how you hold yourself while you are sitting, standing or performing any other repetitive actions for prolonged durations.

Sports where we most commonly utilise taping for athletes as a preventative or strengthening means include… netball, basketball, AFL, tennis and soccer. Just to name a few!

Some tips for those of you out there who may attempt to tape an injury yourself:

– We recommend you use “fixomul” a thin, white, hypoallergenic tape underneath your rigid strapping tape to prevent skin irritation. Particularly important if you are taping the same area over and over.

– If taping becomes painful, causing cutting of the skin, blistering or cutting of circulation to your extremities, IT’S TOO TIGHT. Remove it and start again or get some assistance from a sports trainer or osteopath.

In a few short weeks I will be attending a course on “Kineseotape” or “Rocktape” which is the colourful tape you may have seen used by many professional athletes.

The uses of Kinesiotape or Rocktape include:

– Muscle and joint support

– Taping for swelling and inflammation

– Postural control taping

– Pregnancy support taping

– Power taping.

Stay tuned, as I will be bringing this new skill set to Yarra Osteopathy to further accelerate patient’s injury recovery time and return to work and sport! For any questions regarding taping or demonstration on how you can use taping to support your body’s needs, please don’t hesitate to come in and see us!

Dr Kimberley Masin has worked alongside major sporting clubs in the past assisting them with their injury management and prevention programs. She has extensive experience in sports taping. Make an appointment with her today for assistance with all your taping needs.