Sports Tape – Selecting the right type

Whether during training or game day, the danger of injury is only one body movement away.  Pulled muscles and tendons, along with sprained ankles or tissue injuries, are some of the most common complaints that sports people have while performing.  Fortunately, the most common injuries, aches and pains can be avoided by using high quality Sports Tape.Sports Tape AFL

What is Sports Tape (Strapping) and How Can It Help You?

Most sports tapes available on the market today are made of cotton, which means it’s highly absorbent while remaining impervious to water or sweat. Sport tape works by keeping muscles and tendons firm, and protects your muscles by preventing unnecessary strain.  It also prevents chafing and helps hold equipment like foam padding, splints and other gear, in place.  Sports tape can also be used to help minimize additional damage to existing injuries, particularly on the hands, feet and wrists, where many athletes are most vulnerable.

Selecting the Right Sports TapeTape Types

Sports Tape business today is a very competitive industry with many variates of tape available.

The two most common types are:

  • Rigid Sports Tape
  • Elastic Adhesive Bandage

In Australia, Rigid Tan tape is most commonly used for joint support support such as ankles, shoulders & knees. While EAB (Elastic Adhesive Bandage) is typically used over muscle areas or high movement areas like fingers, hands, thighs and on occasion a combination of both tapes is used depending on the injury.

In the USA footballers prefer to use rigid tapes of various colors, this is usually to match the team uniforms, the tape property is no different to the Tan Rigid. This rule is an exception in the case of Kinesio Tape which comes in a many colors and is specially formulated for the treatment of injuries.

What Do I need to Look for When Buying Sports Tape

Sports strapping is a critical element to a sports person’s ability to perform at their highest possible level and purchasing a sports tape that has all the key quality’s, Flexibility, Breath-ability, Supportive Strength, Ease of Applying and Correct Adhesion is the art. Unfortunately price is not a supporting factor as many of the high priced products are well marketed but not supported with performance.
My advice is to ignore price, take samples from as many suppliers and test for the Key Elements.

  • Breath-ability
  • Support
  • Sports Tape Adhesion
  • Ease of Use
  • The Price is Right – that’s a BONUS

In conclusion, selecting the right kind of tape can make or break you (literally!).  That’s why it’s crucial to choose a Sports Tape that provides good air circulation (porous tape) while remaining water and sweat resistant.  There are sports tape products available which are non-porous, these should be avoided at all cost as the key to effective tape is its ability to hold and breathe, strapping to tight can result in circulation problems that can put you more at risk of injury.

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