When your patient has a painful or stiff big toe, or their 1st MTPJ is drifting painfully into valgus, how can you use tape to provide support without squeezing the forefoot or making their shoes uncomfortable? And how can they reproduce that support themselves at home?
In this practical presentation, Zoe Russell (Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist) demonstrates taping options for the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ), with detailed guidance on how to position and apply your tape to ensure it’s effective and comfortable.
You’ll discover:
- How to apply a rigid crisscross technique around the big toe, adapting the support and direction of pull to your patient.
- How to create a secure forefoot anchor without compressing the metatarsals.
- How to choose and cut tape to suit the size of your patient’s toe and the webspace between their first and second toes.
- How to use underlay, smooth overlapping strips and tidy anchors to improve comfort inside socks and shoes.
- When to check the fit in standing and how to check toe circulation before completing the application.
- How to prepare a split strip of dynamic or kinesiology tape for a flexible alternative your patient can apply at home.
- Why flexible tape is applied directly to the skin in this technique, and how to handle the adhesive and finish the edges to help it stay in place.
You’ll finish with practical options for supporting the big toe joint, plus a self-taping approach to help your patients manage between appointments.
Also in this series:
Click here for your access to the foot taping presentation with a Clinical Edge membership, or watch it here if you're a Clinical Edge member.