In the days prior to the Great North Run, therapists at our clinics receive an influx of requests for athletic taping from runners hoping to gain some relief from a pain or niggle sustained during training, or to prevent the risk of an injury occurring during the run.
Therapists at Newcastle Sports Injury Clinic would not recommend athletic taping as a stand-alone treatment. However, when combined with other musculoskeletal injury treatments such as manual therapy, strengthening exercises and/or sports massage, athletic taping can help to improve the activity of a muscle or joint, load or unload specific muscles or reduce pain and swelling in the short term.
Athletic taping is generally used for:
- Muscle Activation – increases stimulation on tendon or muscles to encourage weak/less active muscles to be activated and improve muscle balance.
- Mechanical Imbalance – when applied to a joint or ligament athletic taping can create stimulation that the body will adapt to and will improve the joint load and position
- Space Correction – unloads painful areas by creating space above the edema/inflammation which in turn reduce the irritation
- Lymphatic Application – assists in the removal of swelling by directing exudate towards a lymph duct, reduce edema/inflammation and promote soft tissue healing
Our specialist therapists can advise as to whether you could benefit from athletic taping as part of your treatment program and if so, will apply the elastic tape for you. It is imperative that any corrective tape is fitted by a therapist trained in athletic application as incorrect tape width, tension or positioning could cause more harm than good and, in some instances, can result in further injury.
While early diagnosis, advice and treatment is always recommended, it is never too late to seek professional advice when faced with an injury. Running injury treatments are available at our clinics in the days leading up to the Great North Run and our Newcastle city centre clinic is extending its opening hours to ensure all runners requiring injury advice or treatment, pre-race massage, podiatry treatments or athletic taping are able to see a specialist before they embark on the 13.1mile run.
For further information or to book an appointment please contact us.
