Sports taping is now widely used by athletes from all over the world and many research have proved the efficacy of taping application. In podiatry, taping is often applied on the lower limb and it is categorized under three main roles.
- Injury prevention: The most vulnerable and most commonly injured region of the body is the ankle; the application of sports tape is to keep the ankle within a healthy range of motion and prevent excessive motion that will lead to a sprained ankle.
- Injury Management: Tape is used in soft tissue injury such as ligament, tendon or muscles injury to act as a stabilizer and to reduce further harm to the injured area. Common overuse injury such as plantar fasciitis can be alleviated by reducing the tension on the fascia itself using specific podiatric taping technique.
- Post-injury Management: An injured soft tissue is often more likely to suffer from a re-injury. Taping vulnerable joints support those joints yet does not put on extra weight or bulk to the athlete. This is can also assist in proper biomechanics to take place.
Apart from the uses mentioned above, sports taping also plays a role in preventing foot deformity, particularly in conditions such as bunions or other bone deformities. Used in conjunction with other modalities, sports taping allows the practitioner to shape and correct the foot. One such use is in conjunction with foot orthotics. As the foot orthotic is made to measure, sports taping can be applied for temporary relief and correcting the foot until the orthotic is ready. Taping techniques can vary among practitioners, and the choice of tape can also be a contributing factor in your personalised plan. Your podiatrist will assess and provide suitable taping techniques based on the specifics of your lower limb condition.
