What is the best way to tape the thumb?
If you’ve sprained your thumb, and this is by far the most common injury that occurs in the thumb area in everyday life, it can actually make sense to tap your thumb. Of course, it is important that a doctor has ruled out the possibility of a bony injury, such as a fracture of the thumb, before starting to apply the tape bandage. Tape treatment can be considered for bruises and sprains as well as injuries to the ligamentous apparatus at the base joint and the saddle joint of the thumb.
But not only for these classic sports injuries, but also for psychological overstrain of the thumb and its joints, tape-tape can provide relief. This phenomenon is often referred to in the vernacular as “mobile phone thumb” and actually occurs primarily in people who spend many hours a day with their smartphone and thus place excessive strain on their thumb. In all these cases, a kinesiotape at the base of the thumb can easily stabilize it and thus provide pain relief.
To tape the thumb you need 2 tape tapes in I-form. The bandage should be applied with strong traction and worn for a maximum of seven days. In order to be able to apply the tape correctly, the hand on the ulnar side, i.e. the one with the little finger, should be placed on a table or another flat surface.
Then the complete length of the outside of the forearm is measured once over the inside of the wrist to the ball of the thumb and back again. Since the tape is glued here with very strong traction, you can shorten the tape by about a quarter of its length. The beginning, i.e.
the base of the tape is on the radial side of the forearm, i.e. the side with the index finger on it. At first, the thumb is spread out so far that it is stretched as much as possible (without causing pain, of course). Then the tape is wrapped twice around the thumb joint.
Afterwards, the tape is stuck over the ball of the hand and over the inner surface of the wrist. The end of the tape runs down the elbow side of the forearm to the back of the forearm. With the second kinesiotape you proceed in the same way, only that the course is slightly offset to the first tape.
