Sport Tape

[chickwhorips]

i recently reinjured my leg and have to go back to taping it with the good ol' white sports tape. well i think i sweat more than the average person and it never seems to stick more than 5 mins once i start running or cycling.
i went down to the clinic and got some of the skin prep stuff to help it stick and that doesn't even work well.
does anyone have any suggestions on what could help?
i have to take about a 5 in piece and tape the side of my leg just under my knee from behind my leg to the front. then place a slightly smaller piece ontop of that, which also comes off to easily!

[Bikingmomof3]

Duct tape? Sorry, it was the first thing to pop ionto my weird head. I honestly have no idea, but being one who also sweats profusely, I will be watching to see what answers you receive.

[chickwhorips]

that thought actually did cross my mind. it is the major form of "hold-together-stuff" here. if you can't duct tape it why keep it.

[Bikingmomof3]

Exactly! Duct tape is used often around my house.

[Tri Girl]

Maybe this will work for you-
I use this for my feet which sweat an awful lot when I run. It would probably work for your leg, too. I don't know how big an area that you need to tape, so it may not work for you. I have to tape my arches everytime I run because my feet are so flat and I overpronate severely (and I'm too cheap to buy $200 orthotics that I would have to replace every year, so my running doc told me this did the same thing- he called it "poor man's orthotics").

I buy tincture benzoin compound in a bottle. It's about a 1 oz bottle. I have to ask for it at the pharmacy (CVS gets the best kind I've found), and sometimes they have it on stock in back, and other times they have to order it. The bottle is about $2 and lasts a long time. After you put it on, let it "set" for 30 sec. or so and it will become very sticky. Will keep the tape in place even during the sweatiest runs. The only bad thing with using it on your leg is that you'll have to wash it off afterward because it leaves a brownish tint on your skin. The good thing is that when I'm done running, pulling the tape off is sometimes difficult because it stays so good.
The tape I use is nylon cloth tape made by 3M. It's about an inch wide, and it has ridges, and is shiny. It's about $5 a package for 2 rolls, but lasts me a couple months.
This is the best combo I've found.
Good luck with your healing injury!!

[chickwhorips]

that sounds like the stuff that i got from the clinic to use as a skin prep that makes the skin extra sticky and is that brownish color. the tape still comes off. usually starts in the back kinda under neath my knee and then slowly peels forward.

thanks for the suggestion though.

i did invest in those custom orthotics and i'm so happy i did!!!!

[snapdragen]

From your description, I'm wondering if a Cho-Pat strap would work.

Cho-Pat

[chickwhorips]

no unfortunatly it won't.

i need something just on the one side to help pull and keep my bone in place.

[TerraNik]

Maybe try a better quality sports tape?

I am a volunteer sports trainer and first aider, and I often get asked to tape knees/ankles/shoulders, etc... And I have come across a lot of crappy tape out there! Poor quality tape will tend to come off your leg even with movement, let alone if you throw some sweat into the mix! Particularly if you apply it right before you exercise or if your leg is already sweating.

I find it is best to apply the tape ahead of time, giving it time to fix to your leg, ensuring that you do this when your leg is clean and dry. The best tape (for a reasonable price) that I have found is Elastoplast. Now I don't know whether you guys can get it in America because I have a feeling it may be Australian, but this is the type of stuff that might work.

http://www.elastoplastsport.com.au/

Hope this helps!

[KnottedYet]

We use McConnell tape kits at the clinic, for exactly the kind of application you describe.

They cost a bundle ($35) but stay on for days. I use it on my grumpy shoulderblade/back and leave it on for about 4 days at a time. I have to ask someone to peel it off for me, because it's still too sticky to get off easily.

I'll wander off and see if I can find a link, otherwise I'll get the info at the clinic tomorrow and post it.

Ok, this is the brand we use. You put down the white tape first It's just to go between your skin and the brown tape, which does all the work. You only put tension on the brown tape.

http://www.medsupplystore.com/bei337.html

[velogirl]

Don't shave your leg around your knee and see if the tape sticks to the hair!!!

[chickwhorips]

thanks i'll look up those tapes. never figured it would be the tape itself that wasn't good. i got it from my PT.

velogirl.... i've tried waxing before, that doesn't sound pleasant! i'll leave the pros.

[TerraNik]

Ok, this is the brand we use. You put down the white tape first It's just to go between your skin and the brown tape, which does all the work. You only put tension on the brown tape.

http://www.medsupplystore.com/bei337.html

Yeah, I have experience with this tape also (Leukotape) and I have had great success with it. If it doesn't stick with the white tape under it, I just use the brown tape on its own (it's fine as long as you don't get a reaction to the brown tape). When I strap my own ankle I never use anything under the brown tape.

[aicabsolut]

Are you using prewrap? (sort of thin foamy stuff) It kind of sticks to itself and then the tape sticks to it. It provides somewhat of a barrier against sweat. I had to get taped for track all the time in a very hot climate and I never really had problems. Maybe because it was my ankle area not my knees.

Something else is the flexible bandage stuff...it has a bunch of names but I'll try to describe it. I call it vetwrap because it's just like stuff I'd use on horses to keep gauze pads on an ankle and stuff. It's this stretchy bandage that looks like a thin Ace bandage (comes in different widths). It is adhesive but doesn't stick to your skin, just itself. I'd still recommend tucking the end under, though. It's not as good against sweat as prewrap and white cloth tape, but it's flexible unlike the white tape, so maybe it'll move a little with you instead of slide around? I use it usually to protect scrapes, but I have taped my ankles with it a few times, and it's been fine.

Be sure you're using enough tape too to really secure the wraps.