Athletic tape provides external support, enhances stability, and modifies movement patterns in joints and muscles. It falls into two main categories: rigid sports tape and elastic kinesiology tape. Rigid tape is non-elastic, often made of cotton and zinc oxide adhesive, and primarily restricts movement to offer mechanical support, such as for the ankle. Elastic or kinesiology tape is flexible, designed to mimic skin elasticity, and provides dynamic support, improves proprioception, and facilitates pain relief without limiting the full range of motion.
Essential Taping Fundamentals
The targeted area must be clean and completely dry, free of any lotions, oils, or sweat that could compromise the tape’s adhesion. Trimming or shaving excessive hair about 12 hours prior to application is advised to prevent painful removal and improve tape stickiness. For individuals with sensitive skin, a hypoallergenic underwrap should be applied first to create a protective barrier.
Application is guided by anchor points and controlled tension. Anchor points are the ends of the tape strips and must always be applied with zero stretch to prevent premature peeling. The main body of the tape is applied with a specific stretch percentage based on the desired effect. Rigid support uses a firm pull to mechanically restrict motion, while elastic tape often uses 25% to 50% stretch for muscle support. After application, rub the tape gently to activate the adhesive, and check that it does not cause numbness, tingling, or restricted circulation.
Placement Strategies for Lower Extremities
For ankle support, especially to prevent common inversion sprains, the goal is to stabilize the lateral ligaments. This involves creating anchor strips around the lower leg and foot, followed by stirrup strips that resist the inward roll of the ankle. Figure-eight and heel lock patterns are applied over the stirrups; the figure-eight provides comprehensive capsule support, while heel locks cup the heel to control side-to-side motion.
Patella tracking issues benefit from techniques that encourage medial alignment. A common method uses rigid tape applied over a protective underwrap, starting on the outside of the kneecap and pulling the patella medially toward the inner side of the knee. This application creates a pucker in the skin on the inner knee, mechanically holding the patella in a corrected position to reduce stress on the underlying joint surfaces. The tape acts to glide, tilt, and rotate the kneecap slightly, reducing pain during activity.
Taping for shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) often uses elastic tape to alleviate tension on the muscles attached to the shin bone. Long strips of kinesiology tape are applied from the arch of the foot up to just below the knee, with the foot slightly inverted or plantarflexed during application. Additional strips may be applied horizontally or in a fan shape across the painful area, using a light stretch to lift the skin and improve circulation. This lifting action decompresses the tissue, which reduces pressure on local pain receptors.
For plantar fasciitis, the basketweave technique using rigid tape provides strong arch support to the foot sole. This involves applying alternating strips of tape longitudinally and transversely across the foot. This weave pattern creates a non-elastic sling that supports the longitudinal arch, preventing excessive pronation and reducing strain on the plantar fascia attachment at the heel. The application is finished with anchor strips around the ball of the foot and the ankle to lock the supportive weave in place.
Placement Strategies for Upper Extremities
To prevent wrist hyperextension, a common injury in contact sports, the wrist is first positioned in slight flexion. Rigid anchors are placed around the hand, just below the fingers, and around the forearm, just above the wrist. Non-elastic support strips are then applied in an ‘X’ pattern across the palm side of the wrist, running from the hand anchor to the forearm anchor, which mechanically blocks the wrist from bending too far backward.
Shoulder stabilization, often for supporting the rotator cuff or correcting posture, uses elastic tape. To cue retraction, a long strip of tape can be anchored near the collarbone, guided across the shoulder joint, and back toward the scapula. The tape is applied with a light to moderate stretch to provide a sensory reminder, encouraging the shoulder blade to stay in a more neutral position during movement. This pattern improves the body’s awareness of its position, known as proprioception, rather than mechanically immobilizing the joint.
For finger and thumb injuries, such as a UCL sprain of the thumb, a combination of rigid and elastic tape is often used. The UCL joint is stabilized by applying tape in a figure-eight pattern around the wrist and the thumb’s proximal joint. This application must restrict the thumb’s outward movement (abduction) while still allowing the hand to grasp objects. Buddy taping involves securing an injured finger to an adjacent, healthy finger using small strips of tape to provide passive support and protection.
Core and Postural Support Applications
Taping the core and back is mainly used for postural correction and muscle facilitation, making elastic tape the preferred choice. For lower back pain, especially involving the erector spinae muscles, two vertical strips of elastic tape are placed on either side of the spine, running parallel from the lower ribs down to the pelvis. The tape is applied with the back slightly bent forward so that when the person straightens up, the tape applies a gentle stretch, facilitating muscle contraction or providing sensory feedback for pain relief. A second, horizontal strip is often placed across the painful area to create a supportive H or star pattern, providing multi-directional stability.
Taping for postural correction in the upper back aims to reduce rounding of the shoulders. This is achieved with an ‘X’ pattern of elastic tape applied across the upper back and shoulders. The tape is anchored on the shoulder, guided diagonally across the spine, and anchored again near the opposite shoulder blade. When the person slouches, the tape pulls on the skin, providing a tactile cue that reminds the brain to pull the shoulders back and maintain a more upright alignment, promoting improved posture through sensory re-education.