Taping in sports: a brief update

Abstract

Athletic taping is an adjunct mechanism adopted as a preventive measure of injuries or post-injury rehabilitation and prophylaxis. The tape is chosen properly so that it could be able to properly strap the body parts, e.g., ankle, wrist, finger, etc. There are certain principles, guidelines, rules and regulations based on which taping has to be done. Besides injury prevention, taping is also used in sports as conservative management of pain, biomechanical effects, effects on balance, posture and neuromuscular system, rehabilitation. Taping has been found to be effective in cases of ankle, foot, hand and wrist injuries as well as appeared to be more valuable in rehabilitation than in prevention of knee and ankle injury. A modern and new approach of taping is kinesiology tape which provides athletes with a solution for working through minor injuries and recovering faster from major injuries and has also been found to be an ideal modality for use in chiropractice settings. It also helps in enhancement of endurance capacity and even performance level in certain cases. Contradictory opinions exist among scientists regarding the advantages and disadvantages of application of taping in sports. Nonetheless Athletic Taping is recommended with certain precautions for the benefit of the sportspersons and athletic performance.