Types of Athletic Tape

Anyone that has participated in sports or other activities knows there are several types of athletic tapes to choose from. Each type of athletic tape has a different purpose and design. Some tape is designed to help prevent injuries while other tapes are designed to heal injuries.

Uses of Athletic Tape

Some of the uses of athletic tape include stabilizing joints, protecting body parts and tapes that are used to make athletic gear work and fit better. For instance, a boxer tapes his hands to protect his fingers and knuckles and to make his gloves fit properly.

Adhesive Tape

Some of the types of tape are non-elastic adhesive tape. This is probably the most widely used tape in athletics because it comes in such a wide variety of sizes. As the name states, this is an adhesive tape that sticks to the body. It is suggested that any hair where the tape is to be used should be removed. Another type of tape is elastic adhesive tape. This is a more flexible form of non-elastic adhesive tape.

Non-Adhesive Tape

Self-adherent tape is another type of tape that is used widely because it does not stick to the skin of the athlete. This type of tape sticks to itself, which makes it much less painful when removed. The last type of tape is non-adhesive elastic tape. This type of tape is generally used for stabilizing joints during the healing process, because it has no adhesive. Small clips are used to hold this type of tape in place and is not designed to stay in place during events.