Taping can reduce pain, protect an injured area, restrict movement, manage swelling and give your patients the confidence to move, but choosing the wrong techniques or tape for each patient can increase your patients' discomfort, damage or irritate their skin or impair circulation.
Which tape will provide the right support? How tight should it be? Is taping appropriate for this patient, and how will you know whether it has worked?
Confident taping starts with answering these questions.
The wrong application may be ineffective, uncomfortable or even unsafe.
So how do you consistently get your taping decisions right?
Zoe Russell (Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist, Olympic and Commonwealth Games Physio and Clinical Edge educator) reveals the clinical reasoning, safety principles and practical knowledge that are essential for effective taping in this new five-part masterclass, available now in the Clinical Edge members area.
In this masterclass, you'll explore:
- How to identify whether your patient needs protection, compression, movement restriction or sensory feedback, so you can select an application that matches their presentation.
- Mechanical, neuromuscular and psychological effects of tape, so you can explain to patients what you want the tape to achieve and set realistic expectations.
- How to make evidence-informed decisions about the best taping techniques for your patients.
- The equipment you need in your taping kit and how to prepare the skin for an effective application.
- How to apply tape and test your patient's response, to guide whether you keep, adjust or remove it.
- When to use rigid tape, Fixomull or Hypafix, kinesiology tape, dynamic tape, elastic adhesive bandages or Coban.
- How to prepare the skin and optimise adhesion, so your application withstands movement, sweat, humidity and demanding sporting environments.
- Contraindications and precautions for taping, so you can recognise patients who should not be taped and reduce the risk of skin damage, circulation problems and other complications.
- How to discuss benefits, risks and alternatives, so your patient can provide properly informed consent.
- Essential safety checks you need to perform after taping.
- The simple, specific removal and safety instructions every taped patient needs before leaving your care, so your patient knows how long to wear the tape and when to remove it.
- How sporting rules, athlete movement and environmental conditions influence your taping decisions.
- How to maintain your equipment and plan for sport-specific requirements, so you're prepared when taping in the clinic, at training or during competition.
Using her experiences taping athletes right through to the Olympic level, and a specific acute ankle injury example, Zoe takes you through how to use your assessment findings and treatment goals to choose an appropriate tape and technique, while keeping your patient safe.
Whether you're developing your taping skills or refreshing your clinical approach, this masterclass will give you a clear decision-making framework to use tape safely, confidently and effectively.
Click here for your access to the taping masterclass with a Clinical Edge membership, or watch it here if you're a Clinical Edge member.