Medical tape is used by health professionals for treating injured muscles, dressing wounds, preventing sports injuries and supporting recovery. It’s an essential component of first aid kits for health clinics, workplaces, sports clubs, schools and more. In this guide, we explain the purpose of taping, when and how to use medical tape for injuries and the different types of tape available.
What’s the purpose of taping an injury?
There are many applications of taping. It’s commonly used for preventing injury, assisting with rehabilitation and treating chronic pain. Medical tapes are also used to secure wound dressings, and play an important role in protecting open wounds from infection (read more about why wound care is important for healing).
Taping may be used to:
- Provide pain relief for joint pain or muscle pain
- Provide extra support or stabilise an injured body part
- Prevent injuries and reduce the risk of re-injury
- Reduce swelling and/or increase blood flow to the area
- Correct posture
- Secure wound dressings
Sports tape for injuries
Sports tape – also known as athletic tape – is a supportive tape used for treating sports related injuries and preventing injuries during physical activity. Sports tape is usually a non-stretch tape, making it ideal for joint stability.
Rigid strapping tapes, such as Aeroplast sports tape, prevent the movement of ligaments, tendons and joints during vigorous exercise. They can also be used during rehabilitation, to support the recovery of an injury or prevent re-injury.
Applications include:
- Strapping the ankle when recovering from a ligament sprain
- Strapping the knee to prevent fractures, dislocation and ligament tears
- Strapping the elbow or shoulder to reduce muscle pain and support blood flow
- Strapping the hands and fingers to provide stability and prevent injury
Kinesiology tape
Kinesiology tape, also known as KT tape, is used for treating injuries, rehabilitating muscles and supporting weak muscles and joints. In contrast to rigid sports tape, kinesiology tape is a highly stretchy tape, designed to mimic skin’s elasticity. It provides stability while allowing for comfortable movement.
Made from porous, breathable materials, KT tape acts like a second skin and is suitable for sensitive skin types. It works by lifting the skin to create a small space between the skin and muscle. This allows for better blood flow and drainage while controlling swelling.
Applications include:
- managing and preventing muscle strains
- providing stability to weak ankles to prevent injury
- managing knee pain and conditions like bursitis and over extension
- managing achilles tendonitis and other pain affecting the foot and ankle
- providing stability to the elbow for conditions such as tennis elbow
- treating and preventing shin splints
How to apply sports tape and KT tape
Both rigid tape and kinesio tape should be applied with guidance from a physiotherapist or other health professional. There are many different ways to apply sports tape, depending on the specific injury, pain or problem– and whether the tape is being applied for support, pain management or another purpose.
For example, a professional can advise you how to tape an ankle injury properly to prevent joint movement or to provide extra support. They may recommend rigid tape to correct kneecap alignment issues and kinesiology tape on the shoulder to facilitate the shoulder stabiliser muscles and reduce pain during movement.
When applying tape for injuries, follow these best practices:
- Clean and dry the area, and remove any excess hair if necessary.
- Use tape with rounded corners, or cut rounded corners yourself to reduce the likelihood of the tape catching on clothes.
- For KT tape and other types of elastic therapeutic tape, follow guidelines from a physio about how much stretch is appropriate. To achieve a 75% stretch, stretch the tape fully and then reduce the length by about a quarter.
- Avoid touching the adhesive part of the tape as this can reduce its effectiveness. If appropriate, rub the tape once it has applied to help activate the adhesive surface.
Medical tape
Medical tape is used for securing wound dressings, and plays an important role in supporting the recovery of open wounds. Proper wound dressing and taping can reduce the risk of infection, speed up the healing process and improve patient comfort.
Different types of medical tape include:
- Medical paper tape – A flexible and breathable tape used for securing wound dressings. Suitable for sensitive areas, including facial injuries and fragile skin.
- Fixomull stretch tape – A hypoallergenic tape used for fixing wound dressings, especially large dressings. Fixomull is transversely stretchable, can be cut to size and contours to the body, preventing issues with blood circulation.
- Zinc oxide tape (Leukoplast tape) – A non-stretch tape with a zinc oxide adhesive used for keeping wound dressings in place. It is naturally antiseptic, waterproof and permeable to air and water to help prevent maceration.
How to use medical tape to secure wound dressings
Follow these best practices when applying medical tape for injuries:
- For sensitive skin, opt for a breathable tape that prevents the build up of moisture. For allergies, use a hypoallergenic medical tape and note the type of adhesive used on the tape to avoid allergic reactions.
- If the injured body part needs to be kept dry in the shower, or when the patient sweats, opt for a waterproof medical tape.
- Clean and dry the skin before application.
- In general, do not stretch medical tape when applying.
- Use plenty of tape to cover at least 2cm beyond the wound dressing.
Where to buy medical tape in Australia
Whether you’re dealing with a sports injury or dressing a wound, having the right taping supplies on hand is important. When applied correctly, medical tape can provide protection, support the healing process and prevent further complications.
Buy quality medical tapes online with LFA First Response.
We stock a wide range of medical tapes and sports tapes, appropriate for first aid situations, ongoing injury treatment and other medical applications. Place an order today or call our friendly customer service team to discuss your needs.
