In this weeks edition of the SportStrap “How to Strap” series, we are going to take a closer look at how to strap a knee.
The knee can take a lot of punishment during activity playing sport, and in particular contact sports. So a proper taping technique is important for both knee injury prevention and sport injury management in sports people and athletes.
One of the most common knee ligament injuries is the medial collateral ligament injury, where the inside ligaments of the knee can be strained or damaged.
Learn How to Strap a Knee from an Expert
I would like to share with you another video that shows a great technique for supporting the knee using Sports Tape, courtesy of highly experienced Sports Trainer, Cam Wray.
Cam has worked with many first class rugby teams such as England, South Africa, Australian Universities, the Australian Barbarians, Canada 7’s, Argentina 7’s and the Qld Reds rugby teams. Enjoy!
Best Knee Strapping Technique
As you can see from the video, Cam’s method is both simple and gives great support to the medial ligament.
How To Tape A Knee
- In this technique the knee is slightly bent at 10°, anchors are applied above and below the knee.
- Apply 3 series of basket-weave strips on the inside of the knee, criss-crossing the inside of the knee to give the medial ligament support and protection. Ensure the strips overlap by approx 50%.
- Apply 2 medial crossover strips from the top anchor on from the inside of the knee, around the back to bottom anchor on the outside of the knee. Ensure the strips overlap the previous strip by about 50%.
- Wrap with Elastic Adhesive Bandage, start at the top anchor and wrap around once and then diagonally down to the bottom anchor on the inside of the knee.
- Continue to wrap the knee with EAB around the bottom anchor.
- Continue wrapping around the bottom anchor then diagonally back up to the top anchor on the inside of the knee. Finishing on the outside of the knee at the top.
- Remember to rub down the the tape to assist with adhesion.
As well as using the correct knee taping technique, its also important to use quality supplies for the job, so lets have a look at what is needed.
What items do you need to Strap a Knee?
To strap a knee properly, you are going to need the following items:
Optional items you may wish to use:
$28.50
Preparation to Tape an Knee
For optimum results when taping the knee, it is recommended to prepare the knee by doing the following:
- Shave off any hair around the area on the knee being taped.
- Cover any wounds with Non-Stick Wound pads.
Correct Tape Tension
Its also important for the athletes comfort and performance, that the knee is not taped to tight, in particular the anchors above and below the knee, as it will prevent the blood flow around the knee and restrict movement.
To strap a knee to the correct tension, two good tests to do is the pinch test (as mentioned last week), & also knee squats. If the anchors don’t restrict your movement or flexing of your calf and hamstring to much, then the taping tension is right.
More “How to Strap” Articles?
This article is the second of many of SportStrap’s “How To Strap” series. Other articles in the “How to” series can be found below:
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- How to Strap an Ankle
- How to Strap a Shoulder
- How to Strap a Thumb
If you found this article helpful please complete the following:
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- Subscribe to our Newsletter below to receive more “How To” articles as released.
- Leave a comment below, to let me know:
- Your experience with strapping a knee,
- Or any questions you have about strapping knees!
- Add your “Like” to the SportStrap fan page
Have a most outstanding day,
Cade Arnel
SportStrap.com.au
Nothin’ like watching a strappin’ fella strap a knee! 😉
Love the expertise!
I imagine you’d get a lot of YouTube hits on this.
Hi Lina,
Glad you liked the video, Cam is very good isn’t he.
Wait till you see the shoulder video next week, great technique and some good viewing for the female audience…haha
Cheers,
Cade
What gets me, is they strap a damaged knee then keep on playing! How about strap it up and then take it easy for a while – just a mother’s suggestion 🙂
The knee is such a complex joint (probably second only to the shoulder) so knowing how to strap a knee properly to prevent further injury is a must know skill for a strapper. Or amateur athlete. It’s not a substitute for rest though. And once the cartilage in your knee is gone – it’s gone forever. It won’t grow back. So your bones are just going to painfully grind together. Ouch.
Hi David.
Yes the knee is a complex joint, one that takes a pounding while playing sport. Unfortunately knee injuries can happen very easily at high speed, so strapping can come in handy as a preventative measure.
Cam is very efficient, isn’t he ? A minute and a half and the player is under way again. What is the long term result of these injuries, I wonder ??
Hey Sporty I enjoyed your great blog post on How to Strap a Knee. Excellent material Many thanks for publishing that advice, I believe that it basically answers my question.
I like the way this man works, he know’s his stuff and make’s it look very easy. I have been tapping for
quite a few years and find it refreshing to be able to watch and confirm how I tape.
I like the no frill’s approach. Very good.
Hi Terry,
Great to hear from you. Your right, Cam is a real down to earth professional.
All his methods demonstrate how to use the product effectively and efficiently.
I’ve got a few more great techniques to go in the “how to strap” series, stay tuned 😉
Cade
i have no cartilage left in both knees, arthritis in both and left knee re constructed 1987. left knee is always swollen, i am a bigger girl (working on it) but find this cuts the circulation off to my leg, my physio 30 yrs ago used to pull my left knee cap across and tape it in place and it gave me support, now everybody does this but i found it doesnt help me. My muscular – skeletal doc refers to my left knee joint as spongy. Is there any other way i can strap my knees?
Hi Nada,
Have you tried using Kinesiology Tape when strapping your knees. It will give you mild support and may offer some therapeutic benefits, by increasing blood flow, reducing swelling and a reduction of pain in the area.
hey mate.
good to see blogs such as this one.
with the tape, does it matter which brand of tape? some are thicker tapes, but i prefer a thinner one.
can this be used for support after an injury has occurred (3 weeks)
Will this also work for clicking knees?