The key function of any sports strapping tape is to provide support for muscles all over the body. There are a variety of opinions regarding the functions of a tape, but it begins to restrain muscle movement and helps with proprioception, the body’s inner ability to ascertain the position of limbs. Athletes are able to feel the tape on their bodies in a manner that when they move a particular muscle, they analyze and understand their injuries. In the present era, athletic tapes are taken in use for various body fixes and needs.
Taping considered as both an art and science that provides the patient and doctor with endless benefits that include less pain, a surge in body functions and results based on a patient’s response to sports strapping. If the patient doesn’t revert in a positive way to the taping process, then the trainer must get alerted in permitting a custom functional orthotic for treatment. Also, there are many types of sports tape that have different roles to play for the athlete’s injury.
Types of Sports tape:
1. Elastic Adhesive Bandage (EAB): Most frequently used EAB is a strong cotton tape that includes a limited amount of flex along its length. It means that it is able to apply more compression than ordinary adhesives thus making an ideal solution to apply on injuries that have almost recovered. However, it benefits by providing light support and compression to avert swelling meanwhile the tissues regain strength. EAB is commonly seen used in rugby, also used as a headband to pin the ears back, or around the thighs of a second-row player in order to get an extra grip while lifting in lineouts and kicking.
2. Underwrap: This tape is taken in use in order to protect the skin from rigid tape and avert the aching waxing effect that gets caused after the tape gets removed. Another sought-after use for underwrap is that it can turn out to be a hairband that holds the hair at the back of the face or break if they become entangled and prevents sweat that runs from the hair onto the face.
3. Sock Tape: This is a flexible tape frequently used to provide support to shin guards for footballers. The sock tape has a very easy application and provides a minute stretch to make sure that the tape doesn’t cause uneasiness or hindered circulation. They are available in a variety of shades and in accordance with FIFA rules as the rule infers that the tape must match the kit. Nonetheless, it is also commonly used within rugby to provide grip to the thigh and head dressings and keep them in place, also within equestrian sports to hold boots.
4. Cohesive Bandage: This type of bandage has a very limited application. It’s a self-adhering bandage that gets sticks to itself rather than with the skin. It is an absolute solution for athletes having allergies to the ingredients within the adhesive of different tapes, or on particularly hairy parts of the body. It can be used in an alike way to underwrap but providing extra compression as compared to an original underwrap. A cohesive Bandage is also an in-demand substitute to sock tape.
5. Kinesiology Tape: It is one of the most sought-after tapes preferred by most physiotherapists. It’s often known as Kinesio tape and is identified in the bright colored strips of tape and is often seen worn by leading athletes. When applied properly, it lifts the skin to build a tiny room between the layers of muscle and dermis. That space removes the pressure from swollen or injured muscles. Dissimilar to other tapes, it has features of elastic that mean it contours and extends within the skin making it an ideal solution for various athletes. Moreover, Kinesiology tape has few distinctive qualities that include a 60% stretch and the wave pattern of the adhesive.
Among all these, Kinesiology tape is the most preferred tape and is used by most athletes. Also, because it’s flexible and easy to apply it the first choice of most runners and sprinters.
Benefits of using a sports tape:
1. Rejuvenation: Other than handling the tensions of muscles and relieving the pain of the injury, taping is crafted to uplift lymphatic flow. To add, the lymph system is the way through which a clear liquid known as lymph circulates in the whole body. By stimulating lymphatic flow, recovery time is decreased greatly.
2. Blood Circulation: Sports tape help in enhancing blood flow in the body thus preventing the joints and muscles from swelling. The tapes gently allow the free flow of blood in order to clean and heal the inflammation without the use of any medications or surgery.
3. Adhesive Advantage: The adhesive used in these tapes is very complicated than the kind of what is found on a regular use plaster. So that these tapes work efficiently, it is important that they get stuck in one place. The glue worn on these tapes makes sure that they stay still without any movement on the body for several days. So it actually lifts up the skin below for breathability.
4. Improved movements: The way athletes use their bodies is not always the efficient way to use them. Similarly, if athletes learn or train to take in use a particular body part in certain ways, this can turn out to be constricting. Using tapes for bodies in a definite way can familiarise them to move in directions that are more natural, easier, or safer.
5. Fatigue Prevention: Preventing fatigue while athletic performance is going on is another merit of sports tape. Fatigue is one of the most significant predictors of injury. It is a great reason why athletes get bruised as the race ends or during athletic competitions. Thus, athlete tapes serve the role wherein there is no fatigue and the athlete can actively participate.
To sum up, it gets important to use the best sports tape Australia in order to get finer and enhanced results. It is very clear that taping gives a whole stack of benefits to handle different issues faced by all sportsmen, so whether the athlete is training for a marathon or recovering from an injury, taping is definitely something that must be considered.
