Find out what knee taping is, what types are there and which one is best for you if you are a professional or amateur sportsman. The largest joint in the human body is the knee. It is entrusted with a very responsible function - maintaining body weight and ensuring movement. This involves a very serious load and the risk of injury to the knee joint is high. According to statistics, in most sports, the most common injury is the knee injury.
At the moment, there are many ways to prevent injuries, and one of the most effective is taping the knee when playing sports. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to prevent the processes of destruction of the elements of the joint due to the impact on them of strong loads. In addition, taping is also used to treat injuries that have already been received.
Knee taping for sports: what is it?
This technique is a method of fixing the knee joint by applying special tapes to the skin. Taping can be performed in order to completely or partially limit the mobility of the joint and thereby prevent further destruction of its elements.
The use of a bandage and orthoses pursues similar goals. However, in comparison with tapes, all these devices seem incredibly bulky and inconvenient. Using taping of the knee when playing sports, maximum joint fixation is achieved and at the same time the athlete's mobility is practically not limited.
Today, tapes are actively used by professionals, because there is no more effective way to prevent joint injuries while maintaining mobility. Athletes can train completely calmly and do not even pay attention to the tapes. However, this technique may not always help and you should consult your doctor before using it. It is also advisable to select the optimal teips with his direct participation.
Types of tapes
Until a few years ago, taping was used exclusively by professional athletes. Today the situation has changed dramatically and ribbons are used in medicine, as well as by sports fans. It is customary to divide tapes into three types.
- Medicinal. These tapes are used after injury or when diagnosing ailments of the articular-ligamentous apparatus of a degenerative nature. As a result of the application of the technique, blood flow is normalized, the risk of receiving repeated damage is reduced, which leads to an acceleration of the patient's recovery.
- Rehabilitation. This technique allows you to correct the shape of the damaged joint, tighten the ligaments, eliminate swelling, relax the muscles and increase blood flow in the tissues. Also, this method of using tapes is often called kinesiological.
- Functional. These tapes are used by athletes to prevent injury. Sometimes, taping the knee while doing sports even improves the performance of the athletes. This is due to the fact that the muscles do not fatigue so quickly when using tapes.
How do tapes work?
By their appearance, the tapes are very similar to the plaster. They are also made of fabric with adhesive applied to one side. However, unlike a plaster, tapes are designed to solve other problems. This is due to the peculiarities of the material, which is very elastic and can stretch with force and then return to its original dimensions.
A special sticky composition allows you to reliably fix the tape on the athlete's body and during training it is guaranteed not to fly off. At the same time, there is no negative effect on the blood supply to the tissues. The special material from which the tapes are made reliably holds the joint in the required position, thereby protecting it from injury.
When should you use knee taping in sports?
The use of tapes by athletes seems to be the most expedient in the following situations:
- As prescribed by a sports physician after a previous joint injury.
- Various pathologies of the articular-ligamentous apparatus of a degenerative and inflammatory nature.
- With sprains.
- If the athlete experiences severe pain during movement.
- Convulsions caused by excessive exertion.
If you want to know whether you should use the tape in a given situation, you should seek the advice of a specialist. If we talk about prevention, then there is simply no more effective method at the moment. However, if we are talking about treatment, then perhaps more radical methods of therapy are needed and self-medication will not help you in this situation.
Are there any contraindications to knee taping when doing sports?
There are situations in which the use of knee taping when playing sports is not only not rational, but even contraindicated:
- If the athlete is prone to allergic reactions.
- The presence of rashes on the skin.
- Mechanical damage to the skin.
- If the skin around the joint is sagging, taping will not help.
- It is not recommended to use tapes in old age.
- If the joint is severely damaged, more effective therapies should be used.
How is knee taping done when doing sports?
The method of applying the tape directly depends on the purpose of its use. However, in any case, there are general recommendations that must always be adhered to:
- Before using the tape, you should thoroughly clean the skin and wipe it with alcohol to degrease. This will ensure that the tape remains on the joint for the required amount of time.
- Apply the tape along the muscles.
- Closure of the patella is not allowed.
- The tension force can only be determined by a specialist.
- After completing the procedure, you need to make sure that there are no folds in the skin and that the blood vessels are not pinched.
The first time after using taping of the knee during sports, the athlete may feel some discomfort, expressed in the limitation of joint mobility. However, this happens very rarely if the procedure was performed by an experienced doctor. If the following symptoms appear, the tape tension must be loosened:
- Pain in the knee joint increased.
- There is a tingling or numbness sensation.
- The skin around the tape has acquired a pale color.
- Compared to other parts of the body, the temperature of the skin is lower.
If the athlete feels discomfort for a long time after taping, then the tape was installed incorrectly. In addition, it should be noted several methods of using teips, which are used most often today.
- Muscle taping. The procedure is performed in accordance with the anatomical position of the targeting muscles. In accordance with the intended purpose of applying the tape, it is possible to produce a tonic or detonating effect on the body. In the first case, red tapes are used from the beginning of the muscle. If it is necessary to obtain a detonating effect, the tape should be blue, and it should be applied from the attachment point to the beginning of the muscle. Note that the tape must be applied without tension. But the processed segment should be located in a state of maximum stretching. If the procedure was carried out correctly, then after the muscle returns to its normal state, wavy folds will appear on the tape.
- Taping of the ligaments. The procedure is performed in case of malfunctioning of ligaments, tendons or muscles. The pursued goal is to eliminate or alleviate pain, as well as to increase the supporting ability of the ligaments. It is important to remember that most of the tape is attached with a high tension and only the ends of the tape are not stretched to improve the quality of fixation. If it is necessary to increase the stability of the ligaments, then the treated structure should be in a stretched state during the procedure.
- Lymphatic taping. The procedure should be performed in accordance with the anatomical location of the lymphatic drainage pathways. The beginning of the tape should be attached in the region of the regional lymph nodes. The tapes must first be divided into longitudinal strips of small width. The taping technique is generally similar to the treatment of muscles.
- Combination of elastic and non-elastic taping. As you already understood, two types of tapes are used in such a situation. As a result, it is possible to obtain at the same time the advantages of both elastic material and inelastic material. Most often, a combination of two types of tapes is used for taping Achilles, the first carpometacarpal, and knee joints.
Taping different parts of the body when playing sports
Ankle joint
The procedure is performed for sprains, bruises, negative reactions to physical activity and some diseases. For the procedure, it is necessary to place the foot in a neutral state. The tape is applied from the proximal and distal directions, through the outer and inner surfaces of the ankle. If it is necessary to strengthen the posterior capsule of the joint, then the tape should be applied from the Achilles towards the inner and outer surfaces of the ankle.
Calf taping
In this case, it is advisable to use the tape in the acute form of the Achilles inflammatory process or in case of muscle dysfunction. To apply the tape, you must perform the following manipulations:
- Extend the foot so that the calf muscle is in a stretched state. In this case, you should straighten the knee. The tape should be fixed to the sole of the foot.
- The tape should be attached to both sides of the targeting muscle in the proximal direction, crossing them in the area of the lower border of the popliteal cavity.
- After bending the foot, wavy folds should appear on the tape.
Taping the quadriceps
The procedure should be carried out if the muscle is not working properly. The base of the tape is attached at the beginning of the quadriceps. In this case, the knee joint should be bent at right angles. At the bottom, the tape must be cut and, having surrounded the kneecap with two strips, cross it directly under it. A short strip should be glued from the distal to the proximal direction.
We looked at the technique of holding multiple body parts. In conclusion, I would like to say that elastic taping is a very effective multifunctional method of treating injuries not only in sports, but also in everyday life. For maximum results, the procedure should be combined with other therapies.
How to tap the knee joint, see below:
