Bandage elastic for a knee. How to bandage your knee with an elastic bandage. How to properly wrap an elastic bandage

Knee bandages are used by athletes during intense physical exertion. Bands help you lift weight during exercises like squats and leg presses. The fact that this method is effective was proven by world scientists back in 1990.

British scientists from the British University are convinced that the constant use of bandages makes exercises with weights less traumatic for the knees. Several athletes took part in the study. Half of the athletes squatted with a barbell, wrapping bandages around their knees up to this point. The second part of the weightlifters worked without bandages.

During the experiment, specialists recorded the fact of a decrease in the amplitude of horizontal movements. In addition, athletes with bandages performed significantly faster than those who squatted without bandages. Bandages stabilize the knee joint. This indicates the least load on the ligaments.

But there are opponents of bandages. For example, the famous trainer Charles Poliquin is convinced that if you tie a bandage on your knee, the thigh muscles, especially the back ones, will stop growing. And all the load goes to other ligaments. Therefore, he recommends using a bandage to fix the knee joint only with very heavy loads.

When are knee bandages needed?

Elastic bandage relieves stress on the knee joint

The primary goal of elastic bandages is to reduce the load on the knee in order to avoid injury. If you look at the weight with which athletes squat, then the use of additional knee reinforcement is fully justified. But do not wrap your knee with elastic bandages every time. You need to bandage only in exercises with a lot of weight.

A knee bandage is also used to increase strength. To do this, weightlifters opt for bandages with shock-absorbing qualities. When such a bandage is applied to the knee, the lifting capacity at the lower point of the trajectory of movement increases significantly.

Thus, the knee is strengthened and helps to quickly return to its original position. Using this method, you can perform more repetitions and strengthen the muscles of the legs.

If you increase the weight when squatting, then wrapping bandages is a must. With the addition of iron, the risk of injuring the knee increases significantly, so bandaging is the way to save the joints. But don't rely entirely on the bandage. The risk of injury is reduced, but it is not minimized. You can injure your knee with a bandage.

Very often in championships and competitions, powerlifters use elastic bandages. They wrap them around their knees and lift heavy sports equipment. But it also happens that bandaging is only one of the conditions for competitions.

You should not think that since all athletes bandage their legs, then everyone needs it. They simply fulfill the conditions of a sports competition.

Knee bandages for injury recovery

Elastic bandage will help you recover from knee injuries

An elastic bandage is also used during the recovery period after an injury. Doctors still recommend using special medical bandages in such cases, but if there are none at hand, then an elastic bandage will do.

The injured area must be fixed before playing sports. This method reduces the risk of complications after injury. However, heavy loads should be avoided. Pressure on an injury can cause pain, swelling, or simply discomfort during exercise.

People who suffer from certain diseases need long-term fixation of the knees. Elastic bandages come to the rescue. Basically, these are diseases that are associated with the joints.

Indications for wearing bandages or bandages on the knees:

dislocation of the knee;
sprain;
complications after arthritis;
straightening of the kneecap;
gonarthrosis;
overweight.

How to properly bandage your knees

How to properly apply an elastic bandage on the knee

Just bandaging the knee with a special elastic bandage is not enough. You need to bandage the joint correctly, then it will be good and useful. Each package of elastic bandage tape contains instructions for use. In it, everything is clearly and clearly shown and described how to properly apply a bandage. Consider how to properly bandage your knee with an elastic bandage:

before any workout, you need a warm-up, so you need to warm up the body even before fixing the bandage on your knee;
before you start bandaging your knee, you need a network and stretch your leg forward;
the leg is held in tension, but bent, and the toe is pulled back;
we bandage the right leg counterclockwise, the left one, on the contrary, against;
you need to bandage it first under the patella, from the outside and closer to the direction of the coil;
each turn of the dressing should capture one third of the previous turn;
fixing the bandage, after the last turn, insert a finger between the leg and the bandage and insert the end of the fabric into the hole formed;
you can’t fix an old stretched bandage on your leg, there will be no sense from it.

The above describes the usual circular overlay bandage on the leg. There are several more types of applying an elastic bandage:

spiral;
turtle.

According to the spiral wrapping method, wrap the bandages around your knees from top to bottom, overlapping a small part of the previous turn of the bandage. They do it vice versa. According to the principle of the second type of spiral wrapping, the bandage is led from the bottom up.

But the main disadvantage of this type of fixation is the slippage of the bandage. When bending and unbending the knee, the bandage tends to slide off.

The tortoise method holds much better and has excellent fixation. At the same time, it does not restrict movement, therefore it is suitable for long-term wearing of the bandage. It is often used for bruises, tears and other knee injuries.

With this method of applying a bandage, pressure is created on the front of the knee, and nothing is squeezed under it, the vessels and nerve endings are not affected, the area does not begin to swell.

In order to tie a knee in a tortoiseshell, you need to spend several circles with an elastic bandage in the area of \u200b\u200bthe kneecap. Next, we carry out the bandage around the circumference of the lower leg, then we cross it in the popliteal fossa and again begin to bandage it around the circumference of the thigh. No need to tie, fasten under the first layer.

Is the elastic bandage properly applied?

Properly applied bandage

To understand whether the elastic bandage is applied correctly to the knee, you need to pay attention to several factors. Otherwise, you should not expect the expected effect from the bandage: it will only interfere, hinder movement.

So, we applied a bandage, now we pay attention to:

movements should be moderately limited, when the joint moves, slight pressure is felt, nothing should hurt anywhere;
the bandage does not slip;
pulsation under the bandage is not felt;
there is no sensation of numbness of soft tissues, nothing is transferred;
after the correct application of the elastic bandage, the code brightened a little and turned cold, but after fifteen minutes all these sensations disappeared, and the rewound area returned to its previous state;
you can check the desired tension of the bandage by putting your little finger under the bandage, if the finger passes, then the tension is in moderation. Such fixation will not hinder movement and press down on tissues, but at the same time, the bandage will not slip.

How to choose the right knee wraps

Elastic sports bandage

Elastic knee bandages can be purchased at almost any pharmacy. Moreover, it is in the pharmacy that they are more affordable for the common man than in sports shops. In specialized points, a bandage is twice as expensive as in a pharmacy. But the pharmacy is in no way inferior in quality and is inexpensive.

Over time, the bandage needs to be changed. It stretches and becomes unusable for its intended purpose. Therefore, there is always a need to purchase a new bandage if you are involved in a particular sport.

As a rule, a large assortment of bandages is presented in stores, various in size: footage and width. There are elastic bandages and gauze. Before buying, you need to decide which bandage is needed so that it is convenient to wrap it around the knee joint.

For winding the knee, athletes usually use a bandage that does not exceed two meters in length and no more than eight centimeters in width. Bandage the knee down and up about fifteen centimeters. It turns out the total footage of the bandage is thirty centimeters.

Types of elastic bandages

Varieties of elastic bandages

Elastic bandages are made of elastin: a fabric with the use of rubber threads. Thanks to these veins, the bandage is tightly fixed on the human body. They may be called differently, but the principle of operation is the same.

There are several types of compression of the veins of the bandage, which allows you to choose the right one for a particular case. There are also knitted and woven bandages.

The degree of stretching of the elastic bandage:

A high degree stretches the bandage almost three times.
The average degree stretches the bandage twice.
A low degree increases by only 40 percent of the entire length.

Bandages of medium and low degree of stretching are still divided into several classes.

The quality of the bandage directly depends on the composition of the fabric. It is better to give preference to cotton bandages - they sit most comfortably on the body, besides, the natural material is pleasant to the skin.

Synthetics in a bandage can be determined by eye: such fabrics are too shiny. But synthetics are much stronger, so athletes often opt for non-natural fabrics.

The dressing should not be washed in hot water but in a cool and only by hand. Machine streaking is excluded, and from powders it is worth opting for more gentle means. Spinning is also contraindicated.

It is necessary to dry the washed bandage in a straightened state, it is impossible to iron. Keep the bandage rolled up. If everything is done correctly, the bandage will last for five years.

How to use elastic knee bandages

Of course, there is a benefit from the bandage, and it is obvious. But still, one should not get involved in winding the joint. When using such support for the knee, you need to keep in mind the tightness of its fastening on the leg. If the fabric is loosely wound, then it will not perform its functions.

After the sports are over, you need to immediately remove the bandages. You should not continue with rewound legs if you no longer plan to lift heavy weight. It is also not recommended to use such a fixation too often, unless you have weak ligaments. Everything should be done in moderation and only when necessary.

Remember, rewinding your knees with bandages will not save you from possible injuries! This is not knee protection, but only support. Therefore, do not overestimate the bandage, do not overexert yourself when squatting with weights, so as not to get injured.

Bandaging will make training easier if the athlete suffers from arthrosis or other diseases. Arthrosis causes pain to a person whose life is directly related to physical activity. Bandages are necessary in this case.

Elastic bandaging is a simple therapeutic technique performed in many areas of medicine, which is aimed at preventing severe thrombotic complications for the body.

The compression effect provided by the bandage avoids the deadly consequences of vascular diseases, injuries of the knee and other joints lower limb.

Who needs to apply an elastic bandage? Indications for the procedure depend on the class of material from which the dressing is made:

Bandages of low elasticity. Such a product can be stretched no more than 69% of its length.
Bandages of average elasticity. Extensibility 70–140%.
Bandages of high elasticity. The product is stretched by more than 141% of the length of the bandage.

Low elasticity bandages

Compression products of this class are used in the treatment of serious diseases. They are most often used in conditions such as:

Varicose veins in the last stage.
Severe lymphedema.
Chronic venous insufficiency of a severe stage.
Post-thrombotic disease.

Medium elastic bandages

They are used during surgical operations on the vessels of the lower limb, for example, during sclerotherapy.

They can be used to reduce the risk of disease progression with existing varicose veins, as well as chronic venous insufficiency with a moderate course.

High elasticity bandages

These products are applied for the purpose of prevention during pregnancy, after surgical operations, in the presence of hematomas, during intensive sports activities. They can be applied to the knee or other joints to reduce the tension of ligamentous and tendon formations.

An elastic bandage is applied to the knee joint after injury to the ligaments and meniscus, arthroscopy, during therapeutic rehabilitation exercises.

During prolonged bed rest after injuries, operations, general anesthesia, compression materials of this class are also recommended.

Contraindications

There are a number of conditions in which the use of any compression garment, including elastic bandages, is contraindicated. Such diseases include:

Obliteration (closing of the lumen) of the arteries in diseases such as atherosclerosis, Raynaud's disease, endarteritis.
Diabetes mellitus with the development of trophic and vascular disorders of 2-3 degrees of severity.
Inflammatory, infectious lesions of the skin at the site of the bandage.

The action of compression hosiery and bandaging of the lower limb is based on the creation of different pressure on the leg sections. The maximum impact is on the ankle and lower leg, the knee experiences less pressure, which reaches a minimum in the upper thigh. This effect promotes the movement of blood from the bottom up.

The muscles under the applied bandage are in greater tone and the vascular branches located in their thickness work more intensively.

If the bandage is applied only to the knee area, it tightens the intra-articular formations and contributes to their anatomical integrity during loading. Effects of elastic compression:

Pressure on the surface of the limb.
Protection of the wall of the veins from stretching with blood.
Normalization of blood flow, intensification of blood exchange between the tissue and the vessel.
Prevention of thrombus formation due to muscle tension and vascular tone.
Compression of ligamentous and tendon structures, prevention of trauma.

Knee bandage technique

The most common and effective methodology imposing an elastic bandage on the knee is a tortoiseshell bandage. This bandaging method is available in two versions:

Convergent bandage.
Expandable bandage.

With a convergent variant, the first two rounds of the bandage are applied below the joint, and the second two are above. The lower and upper tours alternate until they approach each other in the middle of the joint.

With a diverging bandage, the first round is superimposed on the center of the joint, and each subsequent one is either higher or lower than the previous one. There are several general rules carrying out the procedure:

It is correct to start applying a bandage at a distance of at least 20 cm from the damaged area.
Each subsequent round must overlap the previous one by 70%.
Bandaging should be done with moderate tension on the product. Try to increase compression closer to the middle of the joint.
The procedure and the superimposed product should not cause pain. Release tension if this occurs.
Flexion and extension in the joint after compression should be performed in full, but with great effort. If the bandage slips off the site of application, repeat the technique with a large tension of the material.

Elastic compression in the rehabilitation period

Traumatologists most often prescribe knee bandaging after an injury or surgical operation such as arthroscopy. During this period, dosed doses are allowed and even recommended. physical exercise on the joint in the form of exercise therapy exercises.

After imposing an elastic product, exercises on an exercise bike, walking and running along the track have an excellent effect, gymnastic exercises developed by physiotherapists.

It is necessary to combine physical activity with additional physiotherapy procedures:

Electrophoresis of anti-inflammatory drugs.
Magnet therapy.
Acupuncture.
Electromyostimulation.

Physiotherapy will promote intensive blood supply to the tissues of the joint, and exercises with superimposed elastic product correctly distribute the load and restore the articulation function.

Bandage Alternatives

Some products immobilize the joint completely and are indicated in the early postoperative period or immediately after injury. The compression effect of these structures replaces the plaster cast, restores the anatomical ratio of tissues, and causes their speedy recovery.

Movable models of fixators are designed to enhance the effect of rehabilitation measures, to correctly dose the load on the joint tissues.

During exercise, orthoses reduce traction on ligaments and tendons, and increase blood flow in the affected area. A traumatologist should prescribe fixing devices, taking into account the indications and contraindications of each patient.

Compression bandages and bandaging are used for various deviations of the musculoskeletal system and vascular diseases. An elastic bandage is often applied to the knee or other joints to reduce stress. In order not to aggravate the condition and not contribute to the deterioration of the condition while preventing injuries, it is important to know how to apply a bandage correctly. Having studied the features of dressing with an elastic bandage, you can quickly heal the damaged area and avoid the manifestation of adverse reactions of the body. Before bandaging a knee, it is important to consult with your doctor so as not to harm the affected area.

When to use?

It is important to study the contraindications and rules for bandaging before bandaging the damage, and also choose it with the help of your doctor. A fixing bandage on the knee is used for pathological processes of the musculoskeletal system and during vascular abnormalities.

Elastic bandages are used in relation to the type of their extensibility. This is an indispensable thing for people involved in professional sports. They may bandage the knees for sprains, bruises, pain, or dislocations to fix the damaged area. Wearing a bandage promotes faster healing of injuries due to the fixation of the area. If it is wound correctly, in this way, the load from the lesion is reduced. It is recommended to use an elastic bandage for sports, after arthroscopy, other operations and in such conditions:

arthrosis;
varicose veins;
postoperative swelling;
sclerotherapy;
thrombosis;
lymphedema;
venous insufficiency;
postphlebitis disease;
post-thrombotic disease;
stretching of ligaments and tendons;
pregnancy (for preventive purposes);
injury.

Types of bandages

The structure of the material may be slightly elastic.

Bandages are produced in several varieties. It promotes the best selection during the healing of each disease. For the best effect and quick recovery, it is important to consult with your doctor so as not to aggravate the condition and not cause adverse reactions of the body as a result of the wrong choice. It is important to tie up the injury correctly. Some pathologies require a careful approach to the choice of bandage. Elastic bandages come in the following varieties:

Low elasticity (able to stretch up to 69 percent). Sometimes used to fix medicines. It is used during the defeat of the body:
- varicose veins;
- emfidem;
- thrombosis;
- venous insufficiency;
- post-thrombotic deviation.
Medium elasticity (can stretch one and a half times). Gives health effect after removal of plaster bandages. It is used for post-phlebitis syndrome, venous insufficiency, as well as:
- in the postoperative period for vessels;
- with varicose veins;
- with trophic syndrome.
High elasticity (stretches more than one and a half times). Applicable:
- after surgery if hematomas and swelling are present;
- to reduce stress after surgery;
- in the post-traumatic period;
- for preventive purposes during gestation;
- during sports.

How to properly apply an elastic bandage to the knee?

Each subsequent round of the bandage should overlap the previous one.

It is important to start applying the bandage, 20 centimeters short of the affected area. Bandaging of the knee is performed on a relaxed knee joint. It is better to warm up the damaged area before rewinding the injury. Each round must be wound so as to cover the previous layer by at least half. It is not recommended to wind the elastic bandage with too much tension or no tension at all, it should be evenly stretched throughout the process.

In the process of applying a bandage and when wearing it, pain and discomfort should not appear. The presence of pain indicates an incorrectly applied bandage to fix the knee. Bandaging should not constrain the joint, movements are performed in full amplitude, but with effort. It is not recommended to wrap the injury with a bandage that has lost its ability to stretch. Such a bandage cannot properly bandage the knee. The bandage on the knee joint is applied in two ways:

descending method. The first two circles are wrapped below the knee joint, and the next two are wrapped above the knee, thus alternating wrapping circles until they converge in the center.
Descent option. Superimposed in reverse order starting from the center patella, and ending above or below the knee.

They are relatively recent, preceded by a long history of dressings made of woven materials, thin and thick, in the form of a diaper or a long narrow strip, then knitted dressings appeared, which created a more comfortable feeling for patients and made it possible to regulate the pressure of the dressing on the diseased area. All this is done by the science of desmurgy - the art of bandaging.

Elastic bandages are a rather complex product designed for repeated use. With the help of various technologies, an elastic thread, such as latex thread, is twisted with a single or double layer of cotton or synthetic thread. And already from these "threads" the bandage itself is woven.

However, before you buy or wrap an elastic bandage, carefully study its packaging: elastic bandages, in addition to length and width, have different degrees of extensibility - low, medium and high. These elastic bandages are used in various situations:

Low stretch bandages(extensibility of at least 30%) are used to treat complicated forms of chronic venous insufficiency and deep vein thrombosis; provide quick application of dressings when providing the first medical care; provide a convenient and reliable fixation of dressings on the affected areas of the body.

Medium stretch bandages(extensibility of at least 100%) are used for the treatment of varicose veins, for diseases with trophic complications, for the treatment of post-phlebitis syndromes. They are recommended for maintaining soft tissues after plaster removal and compression sclerotherapy.

High stretch bandages(extensibility of at least 150%) are used to treat varicose veins veins of I and II degree, for the treatment of lipodermic diseases; used in the postoperative period with lymphedema, to maintain joints at rest after injuries and operations; recommended for bandaging bedridden patients.

The question: “how to wind an elastic bandage” can be answered very simply - just like a regular bandage. Those. dressing with an elastic bandage should follow the schemes developed for dressings with a regular bandage.

Of course, there is a difference, it consists in the huge advantage of an elastic bandage - by creating additional continuous pressure (compression) perpendicular to its surface, it leaves the soft tissues and joints the ability to move and function within certain limits.

This quality of the elastic bandage makes it possible to use it both for fixing dressings and for the treatment of injuries of the musculoskeletal system and diseases of the vascular and lymphatic systems.

How to properly wrap an elastic bandage

Before using an elastic bandage, consider the basic dressing schemes and the goals that they pursue.

With the left hand we hold the edge of the bandage, and with the right hand we make several rounds at the same level - as a rule, this is how they begin to apply an elastic bandage.

Spiral bandage - ascending and descending.

With an upward spiral, an elastic bandage is applied from the bottom up.

With a downward spiral, you need to apply an elastic bandage from top to bottom:

So bandage the lower leg, hand or chest. Each next round overlaps the previous one by about 1/3

Very often you have to solve such a problem: how to tie an elastic bandage around the entire leg, or chest. In general, around a large surface.

To do this, you need to apply a bandage, as it were, in two layers. In the first one, we use a method similar to a spiral, but we do not overlap the previous round, but move away from it by a certain distance equal to the width of the bandage. And already in the opposite direction we bandage or with a spiral, or by any other method recommended by the doctor.

A creeping bandage is perfect for the arms (shoulder and forearm) and for the conical sections of the leg - the thigh and lower leg. More complex techniques are used for bandaging joints: knee and ankle.

How to apply an elastic ankle bandage The most common cruciform (eight-shaped) bandage on the ankle joint.

The charts below show how to properly apply an elastic bandage to the ankle joint:

Such a bandage will be appropriate for almost all injuries of the ankle joint.

How to apply it?

1) We make several turns of the bandage around the lower leg itself (we fix it)

2) We move along the outside of the ankle under the instep

3) Wrap around the ankle and bring it out again

4) Fasten around the lower leg

With such a bandage, the ankle joint retains mobility, and this is very important for maintaining the ability to work of an injured person. Such a bandage does not slip and does not create painful excessive pressure in any part of the foot or lower leg. If necessary, you can easily bandage a hard insole under the sole with such a bandage.

You can apply an elastic bandage on the ankle both over the sock and under the sock. It all depends on the nature and degree of damage to the ankle joint.

A cruciform bandage is also applied to the chest and neck:

Now we will discuss how to properly bandage the knee with an elastic bandage. By the way, we will also bandage the elbow!

Elastic bandaging of the knee and elbow joint- the most common procedures in everyday life.

Carefully consider the picture below, this is the so-called "Turtle" bandage on the knee joint:

On the left and in the center - we wind the elastic bandage towards the center, this is a “converging” turtle bandage.

But on the right we wind the elastic bandage with rounds “up and down” from the center - this is a divergent tortoise bandage.

The task of such a bandage is to limit the mobility of the knee joint, and DO NOT FALL.

So how do you put an elastic bandage on your knee so it doesn't fall off?

How to bandage a knee with an elastic bandage

The first thing you should do is ask the patient to bend the knee so that he is as comfortable as possible.

The knee can also be a ligament!

The bandage will need to be wound as evenly as possible so that wrinkles do not form.

We put the bandage on top of the knee and fix it with a double turn. We lower it below the knee and fix it again. The crossroad is below the knee. The procedure is repeated in reverse order and so on several times.

Similarly, you can use an elastic bandage on the elbow joint.

How to bandage your leg with an elastic bandage in the heel area

Believe me, it's hard!

The heel has a rounded shape, the bandage tends to slide off it when walking up and down.

The most successful bandage is in the form of a divergent tortoise bandage, but the first fixing move is made directly through the heel:

With heel bursitis, a more voluminous bandage is needed:

Such a bandage makes it possible to apply medicines and lotions to the heel, and also protects the heel quite well from stress.

How to bandage a leg with an elastic bandage for sprains

Before bandaging a leg with a sprain, you need to cool it - for this you will have to lie down for half an hour with a cold heating pad, an ice bag, or just a bladder of cold water.

It is impossible to categorically overheat the place of stretching, lubricate it with warming ointments.

The next task is to immobilize the stretched area as much as possible. Bed rest may be prescribed for several days.

In case of sprain, bandage the limb from the BOTTOM. This will prevent swelling of the tissues, inevitable during stretching).

An elastic bandage is attached below the sprain (let's say these are toes).

Here, the screw bandaging technique is most suitable, which in the joint area may contain elements of a tortoise bandage.

Even after applying a bandage, apply an ice pack to the stretched area.

It is good to alternate such applications every 15 minutes.

At night, you can loosen the bandage a little.

Modern desmurgy offers a technique for taping sprained ligaments:

Kinesio tape or bandage elastic tape of low extensibility adhesive - it is glued in the directions of damaged ligaments or muscles, it is also called an elastic patch.

Such an elastic patch is literally indispensable during the rehabilitation period after an injury.

If the ligaments or muscles are injured and unable to stretch, this application method is used - before applying to the skin kinesio tape stretched. Due to its elasticity, the tape shrinks and forms folds on the skin and at the same time supports the injured area.

Arthritis and arthrosis.

An elastic bandage is a fabric knitted bandage that is suitable for repeated use and washing. Products are designed to create medium compression and fixation of the joint. For example, after dislocations, sprains, the tapes allow you to move around without fear of recurrence of the injury.

Bandaging helps with regeneration after injuries or chronic diseases. The joint is bandaged to prevent and protect the ligaments. There are several types of bandages: cotton, neoprene and with stiffeners.

Used for local compression and stabilization of the damaged joint. Bandaging starts 5 cm above and continues about the same distance below the knee. For those with arthritis, the bands help support the knee and keep the joint warm for pain relief.

Elastic knee bandage improves proprioception in patients with various diseases, including deforming arthrosis. With the help of bandaging, signals from articular, mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles are increased, which stabilizes the limb and increases muscle tone.

Proprioception initiates reflexes that help stabilize the limb and prevent injury through the stretch reflex. In arthrosis, damage to mechanoreceptors occurs due to the thickening of the capsule, which disrupts postural and protective reflexes. An elastic bandage increases the signals from the skin around the joint. Patients feel better the position of the limb, it is easier to control the muscles.

Indications

Bandages made of elastic fabric create active pressure on the damaged areas, protect it, and promote healing. With the help of movable fixation, it is provided:

restoration of tissue trophism;
support for proper joint function;
ensuring the relative position of the components.

Compression bandages effectively increase blood flow and activate fibrinolytic activity. Additionally, the bandage reduces inflammatory and post-traumatic edema.

Wrapping the knee with an elastic bandage provides soft to medium support but is not suitable for serious injury such as fractures or dislocations with displacement.

Elastic bandaging is prescribed for various pathologies of the knee joint:

The applied pressure supports soft tissues, reduces swelling, and provides a rush of blood to the articular surfaces for regeneration.

Contraindications

The main contraindications for compression therapy are:

cardiogenic edema caused by heart failure;
diabetic microangiopathy;
severe skin infections;
allergic reactions to bandages, especially to latex, adhesives in the composition.

Wearing compression stockings in the presence of diseases of the heart, blood vessels, metabolic disorders is possible only as prescribed by a doctor.

Elastic bandaging is not always suitable for the knee. The main prohibitions concern:

damage to the skin - the imposition of a knitted bandage will lead to the development of an anaerobic infection;
bone fractures - an elastic bandage is not enough to fix the limb, and swelling will create pressure and pain;
thrombosis at the site of dressing: the popliteal arteries can be pinched with a tight bandage.

The dressing should not interfere with blood circulation and lymph flow, otherwise oxygen starvation of tissues will occur.

Types of bandages and their purpose

Elastic bandages differ in the material of manufacture, length and degree of extensibility:

How to wrap your knee with an elastic bandage when squatting? Use high stretch bandages for beginners, decrease elasticity with experience. In competitions, ribbons 2-2.5 m long and 8 cm wide are used.

Overlay methods

Winding an elastic bandage is no different from ordinary bandaging. The bandage should not squeeze the vessels, provoke numbness. It is necessary to bandage without the appearance of folds. The instructions for elastic bandages on the knee show the most popular methods of application.

Generic Method

Bandaging begins 15 cm below the knee joint, performing 1-2 turns. The tape is directed obliquely through the popliteal fossa to the femur 15 cm above the knee joint. There are also two turns. Next, the elastic bandage is applied with oblique and reverse turns. Complete circularly around the joint, fix the bandage.

With the universal method, a bandage located 20 cm below the knee is fixed and wound at an angle under the patella to the thigh. The result is a bandage 30-40 cm long.

Popular option

The most popular option is the converging tortoiseshell dressing, which is done in a few steps:

two turns are performed above or below the joint;
the tape is transferred to the back surface on the femur or tibia, depending on the direction of bandaging, where it is fixed with two turns at a distance of 10 cm;
each next turn overlaps the previous one by one third, and the turns are directed towards each other at the back of the joint through the crossed initial turn.

The bandage is fixed by bringing the end of the tape behind the coil. To bandage the knee with an elastic bandage, there are special products with Velcro and fasteners.

You can make a diverging turtle bandage, which begins with a fixing coil in the middle of the joint. Further turns diverge in different directions from it.

Elemental Bandage

How to apply an elastic bandage on a knee with a wound? The circular bandage is suitable for bandaging the thigh, lower leg - the space under the knee and above the knee. Each new turn overlaps the previous one completely. The bandage is used for bandaging wounds on the thigh, lower leg, but the circular bandage is not directly applied to the knee joint. A bandage wound in this way rotates and shifts with active movements.

In a spiral

The spiral bandage is used on the legs, arms, and chest to cover extensive skin defects and wounds. Each subsequent turn after the first fixing overlaps the previous half or two-thirds.

The bandage is considered simple, used for the knee joint. Bandaging begins on the lower leg, and the last turns are made from below, where the smallest volume of the covered surface is located.

A spiral bandage can be applied with folds, turning the bandage on the other side, holding the lower edge.

How to bandage the knee with an elastic bandage in case of damage to the veins and arteries? The purpose of the spiral technique for the lower limb is wide. It is used on elongated wounds, with varicose veins, prevention of thrombosis. In this way, the muscles of athletes are protected from high loads.

With varicose veins, the bandage is wound immediately after a night's rest, without getting out of bed. Start at thumb legs with a fixing coil and continue to the thigh.

fixing bandage

The stabilizing function is performed by an eight-shaped bandage, which is chosen for dislocations of the knee joint, sprains, injuries of the lower leg and thigh.

Fixation of the knee joint with an elastic bandage is carried out taking into account the rules:

fixing turns are performed in 2-3 layers;
the knee joint is bent during bandaging;
in the process of winding, the turns form a figure eight.

After the fixing turn, the next one goes diagonally across the lower leg. The tape is then transferred to opposite side legs and repeat the coil mirror. An elastic bandage is applied with little or no overlap, depending on the affected area and targets. In order to stabilize, each new turn covers the previous half.

Bandage Alternatives

The simplest alternative to elastic bandages is elastic bandages made from neoprene and other elastic fabrics. Often they are called knee pads, and if there are rigid inserts in the design, they are called orthoses. Bandages and clamps are chosen strictly according to size. The rigid caliper should be positioned where the primary site of injury is, medially, laterally, or centrally near the patella.

Conclusion

Elastic bandages are widely used in surgery, orthopedics, sports. Weightlifters try to fix the knee in order to withstand more weight barbells, runners - to prevent injuries and pain. Proper application of a bandage also helps to reduce pain in deforming arthrosis.

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