Kinesiotape Vs. Climbers Tape

There are wonderful advantages to taping your wrists and fingers, however you need to know which types of tape to use for which application.

Climber's Tape (Athletic Tape):

• For stability of a tissue or a joint.

• Slowly stretches out with time (15%).

• Limits motion of that which to which it is applied.

• Adheres nicely to itself and to skin.

Climbers tape is best used for taping pulleys, stabilizing unhappy over-mobile joints and limiting motion in a previously injured region.

An Example Tape Job:

Above: Climbers tape for a hyperextended thumb. Stability and motion control provide safe limited motion for the thumb with this tape job. Injury: Taking off a sock!

Kinesiotape:

• Excellent for swelling control.

• Tells the brain how much slack to put in a muscle.

• Helps guard against spasm.

• Retrains motion and stabiltiy into a muscle and a joint.

An Example Tape Job:

Above: Kinesiotaping the A4 Pulley and/or the flexor attachments of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon. A compressive swelling focused tape job.

Here is a great video I made on the topic!