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taping vs bracing
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Taping v.s Bracing
Mckayla Faherty
What is taping?
Taping helps reinforces joints that were previously injured or any acute injuries which provide stability for athletes who may have injured themselves but want to return back to play.
Taping
Pros/Cons
Pros/Cons
Cons
- Requires someone else to apply
- Restricts movement and possibly physical activity
- May irritate skin
- Requires “perfect” application (not too loose not to tight and proper)
- Non reusable
Pros
- Effective
- No extra bulk
- Cheaper in short term
- More comfortable short-term
- Relieves pain
- Can remain doing physical activity
What is bracing?
One common type of bracing is athletic braces, these are used for acute injuries as well but are longer lasting for mostly sports-related injuries while it may have pieces to help immobilize the injured joint. Another more common way of bracing is with a tensor bandage, this helps with sprains or strains to bring down swelling and help immobilize the joint.
Bracing
Pros/Cons
Pros/Cons
Pros
- Easier to do with little to no assistance
- Easy to tighten or loosen
- Relieves pain
- Can remain physical activity
Cons
- Bulkier
- They do not replace muscle strength nor do they replace the stability to joints
- Can cut off circulation
- May restrict more or less movement
When to use?
When to
use
When treating an injury there may be times when you should use one method over the other depending on the situation and how severe the injury is.
In this case taping is more preferred while treating athletes in a high school setting as its easier to immobilize the joint while allowing the athlete to remain playing their sport. Its also easier for the athlete to return back to play as its less bulky and more efficient in this case ensuring the athlete is prevented from further injury.
When to use bracing?
Bracing
In this case say you see an athlete playing basketball and when he landed he rolled his ankle. You then examine his foot and its swollen and you think its sprained, this is when you would use the tensor bandage method to reduce swelling while using RICE.
Taping
Taping
You see an athlete who is playing soccer and is in net, she went to save the ball and hyper-extended her finger. This is when you would tape instead of bracing, this is because this acute injury isn't in a large area and is easy to tape back up to let the athlete continue back to play.