By 
When kids get cuts, people turn to band aids for help. When athletes get injuries, they use athletic tapes. An athletic tape is essential in supporting body parts with injury. Most if not all athletes use this type of tape to support worn muscles, overstretched ligaments, injured joints, and other parts of the body that is injured.
How Athletic Tape Works
In clinical practice, taping is used to support numerous musculoskeletal injuries. Taping is not just done after the injury. It can also be used before an injury occurs as a preventative measure. The tape will help you feel which part of the body is injured. Taping can help your body sense the movements within your joints and muscles with proprioception.
Types of tape
There are many types of athletic tape. Here are some of the most common:
- Rigid tape
This type of tape holds joint movement, uses zinc oxide-based glue and adheres to the skin well.
- Elastic tape
Elastic tape has high twistability factor that offers additional flexibility when applied to skin, muscles and soft tissues. It is normally made of cotton that lets the skin breathe and transmits moisture through the material.
- Felt tape
This tape acts as a barrier to the skin that does not contain glue which makes it more comfortable to use.
- Cohesive bandages
Cohesive bandages are similar to felt tapes that don’t have glue in their weave. This type of tape sticks to each other when you wrap it around a joint or muscle.
- Kinesio-type tape
Kinesio-type tape is the most common type of athletic tape. It adjusts to the skin and glides as you move.
When to Use Athletic Tape
Athletic tapes are commonly used to mend injuries, but they can actually be used even without any kind of joint or muscle problem. An athletic tape can:
- Stop the ankle from rolling
Athletic tapes prevent the foot from travelling inward and support the ankle so it does not roll.
- Stabilize the knee
An athletic tape supports and protects the knee from getting injury especially when flexing during a squat exercise. This method is often in conjunction with the ankle taping.
- Shore up a wounded muscle
In cases of joint or muscle injury, athletic tapes can help to reduce the swelling.
Why Use Athletic Tape
As said, athletic tapes have many uses, and different people use them for different purposes. Here are some benefits of athletic tapes. Athletic tapes can:
- Increase proprioception, the ability of the body to sense movement.
- Decrease swelling and improve blood flow around the body.
- Help provide stability.
- Correct muscle function in such a way that it strengthens weak muscles and reduces muscle tension.
- Decrease pain by improving circulation of blood.
Final Thoughts
Athletic tapes are not just an athlete’s fashion statement. They are essential in aiding the recovery of the injured body. With the right use, an athletic tape can be a very beneficial athletic gear for athletes to use.
