Strapping is a temporary form of bracing that is applied to your foot, leg or knee to offload painful areas, muscles or tendons. As many conditions stem from placing too much strain on the surrounding muscles or tendons, strapping helps to reduce the amount of stretching and movement allowed at the area, while also providing pain relief. 

Our podiatrists will usually recommend strapping for the beginning stages of an injury, and during sports and physical activity while the muscles or tendons are healing to prevent the injury from reoccurring. 

Useful in treating a variety of conditions

Strapping can be used as a complimentary treatment for the following conditions:

• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendinopathy & tendonitis
• Heel spurs
• Ankle sprains
• Bone fractures
• Stress fractures
• Patellofemoral pain syndrome
• Posterior Tibialis Tendon Dysfunction

Ankle Strapping for Sports

One of our Brisbane podiatrists Vi McKay, has created a video showing you how to strap an ankle for netball or any other sport that requires a lot of jumping, running and quick changes in direction. 

Types of Taping  

There are different types of tape that we recommend using for varying circumstances. 

1. Rigid strapping tape

This taping is commonly used to restrict and limit motion of the joints for 24- 72 hours.

It works by: 

• Stabilizing and supporting the injured area and preventing excessive  movement 
  
• Providing pain relief by reducing the load on painful areas
• Facilitating optimal movement to enable the least amount of energy to be required by your ligaments, joints and muscles

It's commonly used on patients who are looking to get back into sport or physical activity following an injury. Our podiatrists may recommend strapping the injured area for the first couple of trainings/activities to provide extra support while the muscles and joints regain their strength. 

2. Kinesio tape (K-tape) 

This is a flexible tape that can also be made into a rigid tape. It is a great tape for providing proprioceptive feedback. This helps your brain to better sense and recognise your position and movement. This is helpful for chronic long standing injuries to provide better stability e.g. tendonitis and knee pain. 

Similar to rigid strapping tape, it works by:

3. Combination 

Our podiatrists often use a combination of both rigid and Kinesio tape to receive optimal results.

4. Hyperallergic tape

If you're allergic to band-aids or taping, we often use hyperallergic tape to avoid allergic reactions and allow you to still benefit from strapping techniques.

Allergies or conditions to discuss with your podiatrist

If you have any of the following allergies or conditions, please disclose with your podiatrist as this may affect what kind of tape and techniques we utilise. 

• Zinc allergy 
  
• Allergies to adhesive glue 
  
• Any allergies or skin reactions to band-aids and strapping tape 
  
• Skin conditions 
  
• Skin hypersensitivity
  
• Diabetes or any neuropathies 
  
• Any altered sensation or loss of sensation in your feet 

Visit one of our Brisbane Podiatry clinics

If you would like to talk to one of our team, visit us at one of two Brisbane based locations, CBD & Newmarket.

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