The functional bandage, the runner's lifesaver

The physiotherapist David Valenzuela, CEO of BOX55, tells us in this article about the functional bandage, which is the one that is used to allow, favor, limit or prevent a specific movement. The functional bandage has nothing to do with the therapeutic bandage, as you will be able to learn in this article.

What is a functional bandage?

This semester I explain to my students of the Physiotherapy Degree at the Cardenal Herrera-CEU University the importance of the functional bandage. In this post I intend to clarify certain doubts and expose the keys to make a good functional bandage.

a functional bandage it has nothing to do with a therapeutic bandage, which is the one that is performed the first days of an injury to avoid excessive inflammation.

The functional bandage is one that will allow, favor or limit a specific movement, leaving free the healthy and unaffected movements of an injured joint.

a functional bandage is responsible for protecting a joint that is injured, preventing and preventing that if, for example, you suffer a sprained ankle, you have to give up a race in which you had planned to participate, even if the ligament is still injured.

With a functional bandage you can face a race that you don't want to give up or start the readaptation phase before the ligament is completely healed.

Contraindications to functional bandaging

The first thing to be clear about is what contraindications a functional bandage has; Or what is the same: when not to perform a functional bandage because it can be harmful.

A functional bandage can never be performed when there is a fracture or a bone fissure. The bone is the structure that has to give support and stability to the bandage, so prior to carrying out the functional bandage, an x-ray must confirm that the bone is fine. If it is broken, the procedure to follow is totally different and the recovery time is at least one month.

We can think about whether to make the functional bandage when there is a wound or wounds (as long as they are not open wounds or have sutures or surgical staples), but if it is done, then it will always be necessary to proceed to disinfect the wound.

In problems of serious circulatory diseases, care must be taken not to put pressure on vascular and nerve areas such as behind the knee (poplioteal space) or in the armpit (nerve plexus area).

Choice of material for functional bandage

Based on the fact that a functional bandage is imagination based on anatomy, the first thing we have to decide is what material we will use to be able to bandage correctly and safely so that the bandage is effective and not harmful to the runner.

The material will depend on the area to be bandaged, choosing tape (taping tape), which is a non-elastic bandage, for areas where we do not want adaptation to the human body and therefore we will not perform any nervous and circulatory compression. We will choose elastic bandages when we need the material to adapt to structures, since we do not want to make a tourniquet, and we will choose it, for example, in muscle.

Whenever possible we will not place pretape (skin protective bandage; it is the bandage to avoid the painful hair removal that occurs when removing it) to avoid problems that the bandage may be loose. Except for allergies to the material (tape) it is advisable not to place it.

If we only make a bandage with tape, we will make a hard bandage; if we make a bandage with elastic material, we will make a soft bandage and if we use both materials we will make a mixed one.

Keep in mind that Ideally, a physiotherapist performs the functional taping, because they will know how to adjust and choose the material. It is not advisable to bandage oneself because it is more than likely that the pressure with which the bandage is performed is not adequate; if a bandage is performed with excessive pressure, which may be one of the risks of “self-selling”, the bandaged extremity will fall asleep (a sign that there is nerve and vascular entrapment) which in reality will be generating a tourniquet and therefore a very dangerous and painful ischemia.

Every functional bandage has an expiration date.. The bandage can be for a race, for a few hours, for a training session, for a readjustment or just for 5 minutes, but it cannot be left on indefinitely.

Never must test a functional bandage the day of the competition; the bandages are tested during training and performed as many times as we need to get the perfect functional bandage.

Types of functional bandage

Now, being clear about the contraindications and the choice of material, let's go with the bandage:

1. anchor strips

The anchor strips they are placed proximally (closer to the head) and distally (closer to the fingers), made of elastic or non-elastic material depending on the area to be bandaged. I should put as many strips as I need to make a stable base.

2. active strips

The active strips, are strips that will favor or limit the desired movement and that will go from one anchor to another anchor, achieving the desired effect with as many straps as you need.

3. closure straps

are the strips that they must close the entire functional bandage, without leaving any cracks (known as windows), since if we leave any, the bandage will be destroyed, which will end up generating wrinkles that can injure the athlete. The bandage will always be closed from proximal to distal to avoid dangerous wrinkles.

6 keys to a good functional bandage

By way of conclusion, the 6 keys to take into account with the functional bandage are:

1. Have no bone cracks or fractures
2. Be clear about the choice of material
3. Do not push to generate tourniquets
4. Put an expiration date on the bandage
5. Close compactly and without windows
6. avoid wrinkles

You want to know more? On the Youtube channel of BOX55 Sports Physiotherapy you will be able to find the types of bandages, the choice of material and the joints that can be bandaged.

Other articles by David Valenzuela in the blog of 42K

If you are interested in reading other articles by this same author on our blog, do not miss the injuries in the runningWell, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. In this post,  david valenzuela reflects on how injuries in the running They are the main limitation that any runner can encounter and explains that there are a series of tests that can help prevent them. Don't miss it!

Text to 42K of :

David Valenzuela Diaz

Physiotherapist at BOX55

David Valenzuela Díaz has a degree in physiotherapy from the Cardenal Herrera CEU University and a Master's degree in assessment, physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation from the University of Valencia. He is CEO of BOX55 Fisioterapia y Academia SL, of BOX55 Academy and of Valobando SL Functional Biomechanical Analysis.
David Valenzuela, CEO of BOX55

Other entries by David Valenzuela Díaz

• Injuries to the running, Prevention is better than cure
• Hamstring tear, injury to fear
• Pubalgia, a complicated pathology to treat