Knee injuries are frequent accidents that happen to everyone. Most of these injuries are either minor or moderate sprains and strains, often treated with ice packs and compressions. Elastic Compression Wrap are elastic bandages wrapped around an injured knee to prevent swelling, provide temporary support, and help the surrounding connective tissue.
Putting a knee wrap on flawlessly can be challenging, and this is because it takes a certain level of expertise to perfectly wrap an injured knee without causing more damage to the injury. This article will take you through a detailed step-by-step guide on how to wrap up an injured knee perfectly.
Important Things to Note Before and After You Wrap Your Knee
Here are some essential things to know or adhere to before and after you wrap your knee with an elastic bandage:
- After you wrap your knee, you should be able to move it freely without feeling restricted. A poor knee wrapping confines your knee to the position of the wraps and limits your range of movement. Ensure your knee can extend and retract fully while you walk. If it doesn’t, you should rewrap.
- Before you wrap, use the ‘snug but not tight’ rule as a guide. The rule states that an elastic bandage should provide adequate support to the knees and relieve tension and pressure while allowing your knee’s normal range of movement. If the wrap doesn’t allow free knee movement nor provide maximum support, you need to untie and rewrap your knee.
- Experiences like throbbing, pain, paleness, or redness around your knee could indicate that you have tightly wrapped it, and the surrounding nerves and tissues are beginning to compress. In this situation, unwrap the bandage immediately because the constriction is supposed to be minimal. Rewrap them properly when you feel more comfortable.
Knee Wrapping Techniques
Different techniques exist for wrapping a knee; however, two wrapping techniques are mostly used by medical professionals and sports athletes to wrap the knee.
1. Spiraling Motion
The spiraling motion is the common method of knee wrapping that requires using one end of the Elastic Knee Compression Bandage Wraps (which is the end that faces your heart) to begin wrapping. After the initial process, you continue wrapping in a spiral or round motion until it is snagged and perfectly covers the entire knee.
2. Cross Technique
The cross technique is also another good way of knee wrapping as it requires you to completely unwrap the long elastic bandage, balance your knee on the midsection of the completely unwrapped bandage, and wrap your knee while alternating each end in a cross-cut manner. After you wrap until your heart desires, use the metallic pin or bandage fastener to secure it.
A Detailed Process on How to Wrap Your Knees
Knee wrapping is a process you can’t afford to mess up because the outcome might not be so desirable if you do.
Here are simplified steps on how to wrap your knee perfectly:
- Before you start, ensure you gather every material you need to wrap your knee. Materials like bandage(s), pin or fastener, and scissors (which may be optional).
- After gathering them all, note where you would like to begin wrapping and how much skin you would like to cover up.
- If you want to use the spiral method, start by releasing only one end of the bandage. To do this, unseal the package, bring out the nearest end, and wrap your knee at mid-calf.
- Move the tape around the knee by slightly going up and down as you progress two or three times to create a strong base or foundation.
- Once this base is secured, wrap around the knee by circling above and below. Likewise, make sure to secure the tape around the inflamed area properly.
- The wrap should extend two inches above and below the joint of your knee. Since the joint of the knee is approximately one-to-one-and-a-half inches, the average total area that should be wrapped should be about five-to-seven inches.
- Loosen the tightness of the bandage when you want to cover the knee cap to avoid excess pressure on the joint. Ensure the wrap is snug above and below the knee.
- Do this five-to-seven times or as you prefer.
- When you are about to finish wrapping your knee, work your way up your joint and leave at least one finger breadth of space between the bandage and your kneecap.
- Secure the elastic bandage firmly with the clip by fastening the end of the bandage after you finish wrapping your knee.
For people who would prefer the cross-cut wrapping technique, the process is almost the same as there are only a few changes to note. Ensure you completely unravel the needed length of the bandage before wrapping, measure the bandage midsection, and position your knee at the bandage midsection before using both ends of the bandage to wrap.
Why Should I Wrap My Knee?
Knee sprains and strains require additional support masstamilan as the surrounding tissues and muscles cannot support the attached joints perfectly. Hence, temporary external help is needed till the injured or overstretched muscles heal.
Wrapping your knees might not seem like a fun thing to do, but it can significantly decrease your pain and swelling. A knee compression helps promote healing and can help you get back on your feet in a short time. However, compressions and elastic bandages cannot work alone in helping your injury as they require other forms of treatment like rest, ice packs, medications, topical ointments, or surgery (in severe cases of knee tear or fracture.)
Why is Hampton Adams Elastic Bandages Perfect for Knee Wrapping?
Hampton Adams elastic bandages provide comfort and support to knees when appropriately wrapped. Compared to other brands, Hampton Adams Elastic Bandages are unique as they provide the best comfort and support for knee injuries. But how and why do we differ? What features do our elastic bandages possess that cannot be found in other brands online or in the drug stores?
1. Ease in Wrapping
Wrapping your knee can be pretty difficult, and if you feel your poor wrapping technique should take the whole blame, it shouldn’t. Some brands make elastic bandages from materials that do not give you ease while wrapping. At Hampton Adams, we have considered these and developed bandages that provide all-around comfort.
2. Unique Compression Weave That Prevents Slouching
Do you hate how your knee wraps slouch when you walk or during sports? It is disheartening to focus on reattaching the misplaced pin or fixing your slouching bandage while you walk or train due to the constant slip-offs. Hampton Adams has chosen to create a slip-proof elastic bandage that stays when you go through strenuous exercises.
We have equipped our bandages with a unique weave print that helps the bandage stay firm on the skin, so you no longer have to worry about slouching wraps.
3. Advanced Flex-Fit Clip Fasteners
The old aluminum pins were designed to keep the wrappings from loosening or slouching. Despite their pointy ends, these pins do not secure the wrappings and injure your skin with their pointy ends. To remedy this inadequacy, Hampton Adams developed the flex-fit, an improved version of the usual aluminum clips that blend seamlessly with everybody, athlete or not.
With our products, you don’t have to reposition your knee bandages while you train or suffer from those aluminum and plastic pins that rust easily and sometimes snap in half. These flex-fit clips allow you to focus on other things as it adjusts well to the skin.
4. Reusable and Washable
If you thought of a reusable wrap, our Elastic Bandages are reusable and maintain their elasticity. The material is machine-wash friendly and maintains its elasticity irrespective of multiple washes. Many athletes and professionals have affirmed the fact that the bandage wrap stays elastic as it was even if it gets soaked.
5. Wide and long enough for maximum coverage
Hampton Adams Hook and Loop Elastic bandages are wide and long enough to accommodate every knee size. We have a 3-inch and 4-inch bandage that allows you to wrap as many times as possible. With us, you do not need to attach many elastic bandages before getting the full coverage you deserve.
When Do I Need Knee Wraps?
Knee wraps are highly accessible; they are found in first aid boxes or purchased from a nearby drugstore. They are the preferred treatment for knee injuries like strains, fractures, or strains; however, the use of knee wraps supersedes injuries.
You could use a knee wrap to limit musculoskeletal pain like arthritis, reduce swelling and disperse the fluids back to the body. Knee wraps can also be used to restore limb mobility and increase muscular strength around the knee during exercise. They are actively used in physical therapy to alleviate or treat underlying problems.
