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Knee Injuries
Knee injuries are often considered a result of sports injuries, but ankles can be prone to damage from the most innocent of activities at any age. Twisting the knee from moving off the line of direction can often result in damage to tendons and ligaments.
The knee is a complex structure where tendons, ligaments and muscles work in harmony. In the event of an injury it is recommended that you following the R.I.C.E. treatment advice - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. It is important that in the event of an knee injury that you consult your physician or doctor as soon as possible. Fractures and sprains that are ignored can lead to complications.
Knees
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The knee is a hinge type joint connecting the tibia to the femur. The patella sits in front of the joint. The knee is designed to offer flexion and extension to a limited arch of travel. There is a very small degree of flexibility laterally, but the main function is bending. Knee injuries tend to occur from sports, although injuries from trips and falls are also common. The femur and tibia bones are lined with cartilage that allow for smooth motion, these are joined together by ligaments.
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Damage to the ligaments tend to make up the majority of problems.
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Collateral Ligaments - this is where a force is applied to the side of the knee while the foot is on the ground.
Cruciate Ligaments - anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur when hyperextended or by a force behind the knee when the joint is flexed. Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries occur when the shin (tibia) is forced back into the knee (often known as a dashboard injury as it occurs in car accidents).
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Kinesiology tape can be used for support both in terms of the knee but also to ensure that the patella remains in the right place if injuries sustained have caused this to move offline.
Application Fundamentals
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Kinesiology tape is designed to be stretched over the area requiring treatment. It is pre-stretched on our rolls by 30% to allow easy application, however, more stretch can be added to provide greater support.
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Always start by applying 5cm / 2 inches of tape without stretch as an anchor, this creates the base of the application, then stretch the tape over the area and return to an 5cm / 2 inches unstretched length at the end of the piece.
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It is often best to tape in 3 dimensions to support the injured part of the leg or knee. For twisted knee's there will often be one side that has been extended, this is the area to then offer the support to balance the natural support by the opposing side.
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Note, thick body hair can reduce the performance of the tape as it reduces the skin surface area to the adhesive. Also it may be painful to remove the tape if body hair is longer. If you do chose to shave your skin, we do recommend 24-48 hours gap before applying tape.
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Kneecap injuries
Supporting the patella (knee cap) is crucial, create support either side of the knee as well as above and below.
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Our 50mm wide tape can be cut down the middle to create an double sided strip that works well to support the patella. Adding strips vertically and laterally then supports the knee but allowing flex.
Curve the corners
We highly recommend curve cutting the corners to prevent the tape peeling back. Square cut corners are notoriously bad at coming away from the skin. Once this starts to happen the tendency is for the tape to stick to anything but the skin. To avoid this cut a curve with a radius of around 10mm to help prevent this occurring.
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Why is it stretchy
In order to work the tape must be stretched, the give in the tape allows it to work with your skin's normal give and take. The tape offers 130-160% elasticity depending on how it is used. When cutting the tape you should ensure that you are cutting around 25% shorter length than your intended use to allow for the stretch.
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Is it waterproof
Yes, your AVO+ Kinesiology Tape is water resistant and designed to stay in place for many days if you wish. You can swim or bath with the tape and it will stay in place. ​
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How to remove
Important... our acrylic adhesive will leaves marks if not removed in the right way. The very best way to remove is to apply oil (baby oil or olive oil work great) to the tape and rub it into the fabric. This will then seep into the adhesive and it will come away from the skin. The longer you leave the oil the easier it will be to remove.
If this is not possible then a hot bath will really help loosen the adhesive and help peel it off.
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Alternatively you can slowly peel back the tape and it will release from the skin. Any residue might be removed by a proprietary skin cleaner.
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What is our body tape made of?
Our AVO+ tape is medical grade Kinesiology Tape. Made of 100% cotton and finishes in a range of skin tonal colours as well as bright pink and blue. It uses an acrylic premium hypoallergenic adhesive (50 gsm) is applied in a wave effective to maximise performance.
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Disclaimer
The above guide may not work for all and is a generic guide to help users understand how to use the product. AVO+ does not make any claim to guarantee that this will work for you and that the product will offer support for any minimum times. It is noted that some users may find their body perspire under the tape that may cause it to become loose over time.
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If wearing the tape causes any irritation or redness please stop using the tape immediately. If your skin has any reaction to the tape stop using and if the symptoms persist consult medical advice.