It seems like there are always new trends in the gym, but one that has withstood the test of time has been sports taping. People want to do whatever they can in order to keep their bodies in good condition and in order to prevent injury, and sports tape can do that. Here’s what you need to know about sports taping and what it can do for you. 

What Is Sports Taping?

Sports tape is a rehabilitative technique that uses specially designed tape in order to stabilize injuries and assist their healing through promoting proper circulation. It also allows for freedom of motion, so that people can both heal and have use of their injured parts. While commonly used as a rehabilitative method, many people will use sports tape to prevent injury too. 

This is because sports taping allows for improved circulation and muscular support through the light pressure it applies to the tissues underneath where you put it. It lifts the skin up slightly away from the tissues, which allows for better circulation. Since it doesn’t restrict circulation and it supports your muscles, sports taping can be worn longer than other taping methods. This is good both for healing injury and for prevention. 

What Does Sports Taping Help?

While called sports taping, it’s not restricted to athletes. Many people can benefit from the use of sports taping even if they don’t work out at all. 

Sports tape most commonly helps with injuries such as: pulled hamstrings, shoulder pain, back pain, leg pains, and more. This is why you mostly see sports taping applied to the shoulders, the calves, and other such areas.

It can also help with more common aches and pains, such as headaches. This is why there are office workers, elderly people, those who work jobs with a lot of repetitive movements, and the like will do sports taping in addition to athletes. 

The Benefits Of Sports Tape

As you can see, sports taping can help a lot of people. Here are some of the benefits you should be aware of. 

#1. Reduces Inflammation And Increases Circulation

Since sports taping slightly pulls your skin up while still applying pressure, this stimulates your blood flow and allows for inflammation to drain easier. 

#2. Prevents Injury

Through its supportive properties, the slight pressure, and the increased circulation sports tape provides, it can work to not just heal injuries, but also prevent them. 

#3. Allows Freedom Of Movement

Sports tape is very flexible unlike some other tapes or supportive devices. It’s made to feel like a second skin that allows your own skin to breathe under it. Because of this, it allows for full range of motion and doesn’t restrict movement. 

#4. Decreases Pain

Since sports tape applies pressure and allows for better circulation and decreased inflammation, it can also help lower pain levels. 

When Shouldn’t You Use It?

While sports tape can be very beneficial, there are circumstances in which it is best not to use it. These include:

• Frail skin.

If your skin isn’t very strong and can easily be wounded by pressure or pulling, sports tape could do more harm than good.

• Wounds.

If you have an open wound, putting tape over it can cause infection. Additionally, since your skin is already torn, pulling the sports tape off would worsen your wound.

• Adhesive sensitivity.

If you are sensitive to or allergic to adhesive, putting a tape like this on your body could result in a very unpleasant reaction.

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

This condition is when you have a blood clot in one of the deep veins in your arms or your legs. Using sports tape could cause the clot to dislodge due to the increase in circulation, which is potentially fatal.

• Active cancer.

If you’re actively fighting cancer, sports tape can be dangerous, as it could increase the blood flow to the cancer. 

• Diabetes.

If you have diabetes, you may also suffer from neuropathy, which affects your sensation. In this case, sports taping should be avoided, because you cannot feel if it is potentially causing problems. 

Do You Have Questions About Sports Taping?

If you are wondering about sport taping, how to do it safely, and if it is right for you, please feel free to contact us at Ogden Chiropractic. We can answer any questions you may have, help you deduce whether or not sports taping is an option for you, and show you have to do so safely.