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Sports Taping - Wrist

Following up on our earlier post on sports taping for the fingers, here how you tape the wrist. Wrist Taping The wrist is another area prone to injury especially when pushed backward too hard and far. Taping the wrist helps prevent this.

Figure 1:

1.Using a wider rigid tape (38mm), start at the side of the wrist(1).
2.Pull tightly across?.

 

 

 

 

Figure 2:

1.Wrap the tape lightly under the wrist. Note there is little tension on the tape. Pulling the tape tight under the wrist places too much pressure on the veins and nerves that pass through the area under the skin to the hand and fingers. If too tight, blood circulation and sensation will be affected.

 

 

 

Figure 3:

1.Finish off the wrapping over the wrist again. Here pull the tape tightly as in step 1. 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 4:

1.Check the skin just above the edge of the tape that it is not puckered(1). If it is puckered, the tape is too tight. 

 

 

 

  

 

Figure 5:

1.Note that the skin dips in less under the wrist than over the top as it is not as tight(1)

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 6:

1.Check that the wrist is able to flex.

If I have an ankle sprain, should I have an X-ray taken?

An ankle sprain normally occurs following sudden twisting or sideways movements of the ankle. When we sprain our ankle, one or more ligaments in our ankle joint is injured. Ligaments are structures that limit and control excessive movements in our joints. When we sprain a ligament, it simply means that the ligament is over-stretched or partially or completely torn.

Common symptoms associated with ankle sprains include pain and swelling, and sometimes bruising. The extent of the injury correlates well with the degree of symptoms experienced. If you have significant symptoms following an ankle sprain, do seek medical attention. Signs that should raise concern includes:

• Inability to walk on the ankle
• Significant swelling
• Pain in the foot or above the ankle
• Symptoms that persists beyond a few days or do not improve

It may be difficult to differentiate between an ankle sprain and an ankle fracture and sometimes an X-ray may be required. A team at the department of emergency medicine in Ottawa, Canada came up with the "Ottawa ankle rules".

The Ottawa ankle rules are a set of guidelines for doctors to aid them in deciding if a patient with foot or ankle pain should have an X-ray to diagnose a possible bone fracture.

X-rays are only required if there is bony pain in the malleolar or midfoot area, and any one of the following:

• Bone tenderness along the distal 6cm of the posterior edge of the tibia or tip of the medial malleolus
• Bone tenderness along the distal 6cm of the posterior edge of the fibula or tip of the lateral malleolus
• Bone tenderness at the base of the fifth metatarsal
• Bone tenderness at the navicular bone
• An inability to bear weight both immediately and in the emergency department for four steps

Certain groups are excluded, in particular children (under the age of 18), pregnant women, and those with diminished ability to follow the test.

Application of the guideline reduces patient waiting time, avoids inappropriate X-ray exposure, improves accuracy of the clinical examination, and reduces health care expenditures on unnecessary X-rays of the ankle and foot without compromising the quality of care.

Muscular Imbalance

A short while back, we wrote about "Structural Imbalance". A related issue is muscular imbalance. Muscles usually work in pairs or more to hold a joint or bone in place. In place, being to mean structurally balanced.

When one of the muscles is either too strong or too weak, it becomes difficult to hold the joint in place. It is common to have these two condition together when you experience muscular-skeletal pain. Read more

Does Bad Posture Lead to Scoliosis?

Scoliosis or better known as abnormal curvature of the spine typically curves into a ‘C’-shape or ‘S’-shape when look at from the back. Since your back is curved and you tend to tilt to one side or one of your shoulders could be lower than the other, a common question pops up, "If I have poor sitting posture where I tend to lean on something, will I develop scoliosis?". Read more

Sports Taping - Fingers

Recently, there was an article in The Sunday Times on ankle taping, “Injured Ankles Heal Slow”, 2 March 2008. For those of you interested in sports taping, this is a short write up on taping for the fingers. Here the focus is on basketball and netball players who need a certain amount of write flexibility.

Strapping Up for a Game Finger Taping

Players in sports that involve catching of balls such as basketball are prone to sprained finger. Taping fingers helps prevent sprains by buddy-ing up the index and second finger together to provide better support.

Figure 1:

1.Place the fingers together(1).
2.Place a 25mm rigid sports taping with the edge just below the first knuckles(2).
3.Pull the tape firm and wrap around the fingers(3).

 

 

 

 

Figure 2:
1.Pinch the tape slightly(1). This allows the tape to overlap neatly over the fingers.  

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3:

1.Wrap round the finger above the first knuckle(1). There’s no need to pinch the tape here as before.

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 4:

1.What the taped fingers should look like.

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 5:

1.Check to ensure that the player is able to bend the fingers slightly. If it is too tight, re-tape with less tension.

Popliteal Tendonitis : A Case Study

One of the most common cause of acute knee pain is a tear in the meniscus. So common that we sometimes overlook other possibilities such as Popliteal Tendonitis. We had one such case where the client complained about pain over the posterior aspect of her right knee. The pain came on and off increasingly over the past year as the client was training for a half-marathon later this year. Although a meniscal tear was first suspected, MRIs taken showed no such tear.

Examining her bio-mechanical movements, the client has a slight pronation on her right foot. On palpation, there was tenderness over the medial joint line and over the popliteal tendon region. All other assessments  were negative except for resistive knee flexion with a bias for tibial internal rotation.

Popliteal tendonitis tends to occur due to increased hyperextension of the knee while running or excessive up-hill training. This condition is often overlooked as the pain patterns are fairly dispersed and feels deep over the posterior aspect of the knee.

Management prescribed was soft-tissue massage and ultrasound for soft-tissue healing, inner-range quads strengthening for the tibial internal rotation bias and footwear advice for the right foot pronation.
 

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If I have a knee pain, should I get it manipulated?

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Musculoskeletal Consumer Review © 2007 - 2008 by Core Concepts Pte Ltd