How to Wrap a Thumb Band

The most common reason for a thumb bandage is a sprain-type injury, usually from bending the thumb back too much while skiing, or playing sports like basketball, volleyball, or sports. football. ^{[1] X Source of Research} When the thumb is pushed beyond its normal range of motion, the ligament is torn to some degree — for example, in severe sprains, the ligament can rupture . Wrap the thumb with a bandage to limit movement, protect it from further injury, and speed up the healing process. Athletes can also use the thumb banding technique to prevent injury.

Table of Contents

Prepare before wrapping bandages

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Assess injury status. You should wrap your thumb if the injury is a sprain, strain, or mild dislocation, but you shouldn’t bandage your finger if it’s fractured or broken. A sprained finger will be mild to moderate pain, and often causes swelling, redness, and bruising. ^{[2] X Trusted Source Cleveland Clinic Go to Source} In contrast, a severely fractured or dislocated finger is often very painful, deformed, has abnormal movement, is quite swollen, and has internal bleeding (bruising). ). These types of serious injuries should not be covered with a bandage, instead requiring immediate treatment, such as a splint, cast, and/or surgery.

Do not bandage a broken finger with a large wound. Instead, wash the wound, apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding, and wrap gauze around your finger (if possible) before going to the hospital for further treatment.
It is common to “bandage” the fingers together to protect a sprained finger, but the thumb cannot be bandaged with the index finger. If you bandage your thumb with your index finger, the thumb will be in an abnormal position and there is a greater risk of injury. This bandage also prevents the index finger from working properly.

Shave off the hair in the area to be wrapped. Once you’ve determined that a thumb injury is suitable for dressing, you’ll shave off the hair around the thumb and on the back of your hand (stopping at the wrist). The purpose of shaving is to make sure the tape adheres better, to prevent skin irritation, and to relieve pain when removing the tape. In general, you should shave about 12 hours before the dressing to ensure that the skin is no longer irritated from shaving. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Remember to use shaving cream or other lubricant to limit the risk of cutting into the skin.
After shaving, you need to rinse your skin completely to remove oil and sweat, then dry with a clean cloth. Don’t apply moisturizer because the tape won’t stick firmly.
It is best to clean the skin with alcohol-soaked cotton balls. Alcohol is not only a good disinfectant, but it also removes oil or greasy residue that can prevent the bandage from sticking to the skin.

Thumb bandage

Paste the anchor first. Wrap the tape around the wrist once (not too tight) just below the humerus. This loop serves as the anchor, and is the initial fixation site in many thumb tape wrapping methods. ^{[6] X Research Source} Before wrapping the forearm, place the wrist/hand in a neutral position – the wrist should extend slightly back.

Gently wrap the anchor ring and do not avoid wrapping too tightly to prevent blood circulation problems. If you wrap it too tightly, your hands/fingers will itch, feel cold to the touch, and start to turn purple.
You can also wrap an anchor loop at the end of the thumb – on the furthest knuckle. However, sometimes this part can cause the entire structure to come loose and dirty. Wrapping with a single anchor loop around the wrist is generally consistent with the figure 8 wrap around the thumb.
The best tape for the thumb is a waterproof, non-elastic tape, about 25-50 mm wide. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Wrap a loop from the top of the thumb. Once the anchor tape is applied, wrap a loop of smaller tape (10 or maximum 20mm) at the pulse location, just below the humerus of the thumb. Pull up the tape and wrap it around the thumb, across the skin between the thumb and index finger. Pull the tape back down, wrap it across the first loop, and attach it to the anchor tape just below the index finger. The tape loop will look like a ‘perception ribbon’ wrapped around the thumb. Wrap at least two loops around the thumb. You should also keep your thumb in a neutral position – see how a healthy hand rests for better clarity.

For extra security, wrap three to four rounds of sports tape around the base of your big toe.
The tape loops shouldn’t pull your thumb back too much, making it look like you’re asking for a ride. Remember that the thumb can develop hyperplasticity syndrome due to stretched ligaments, so you must wrap the thumb in a neutral position.

Wrap a loop from the underside of the thumb. After locking the loop with adhesive tape from the top of the thumb, you will wrap a few more loops in the opposite direction, that is, from the bottom of the thumb upwards. ^{[8] X Research Source} These cuffs will start at the front of the wrist/forearm, then go around to the top of the thumb, then back to the front of the wrist. Troop at least two rounds to be sure if you need stability.

Another way to increase stability is to use 50mm pieces of tape to stick on these cuffs in the same direction as the anchor tape. Glue over the starting position of the tape loop at the back of the hand to the mound under the thumb on the palm. Wrap from the ring of tape to the first knuckle to stabilize the muscle group that connects the thumb to the hand.
The thumb traction technique should only be used if it is not uncomfortable and does not harm the existing injury.
The bandage should not be too tight as this will impede blood circulation to the thumb, and aggravate the injury.

Wrap a bandage around your knuckle if sprained. There are two joints on the thumb: one is located near the palm, and the other is located near the nail. The cuffs from the top and bottom of the thumb are mainly used to immobilize joints located near the palm (which are more prone to injury/sprains). However, if the joint near the nail is sprained or slightly dislocated, you should wrap a few loops around the joint and attach the tape that anchors the thumb. ^{[9] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

When this knuckle is injured, you must wrap your thumb near the hand to prevent the knuckle from being impacted and causing more serious injury.
You don’t need to bandage the joint near the nail if the joint near the palm of your hand is sprained, as this leaves the thumb virtually immobile.
Wrapping a bandage around the joint near the nail is a common precaution in sports such as football, rugby, and basketball.

Advice

Make sure you’re not allergic to duct tape because an allergic reaction causes the area to become more inflamed. Symptoms of an allergic reaction are red, itchy, and swollen skin.
After you wrap your thumb, you can still apply ice to reduce swelling and pain from the sprain. Do not apply ice for more than 10-15 minutes at a time.
If you’re careful when bathing and don’t dip your injured thumb in water, you can leave the tape on for 3-5 days before it needs to be re-wrapped.
When removing the tape, use round-nose scissors to avoid cutting the skin.

Warning

Be careful when wrapping thumb tape if you have diabetes, breathing problems, or coronary artery disease, as a significant reduction in blood circulation (due to tight bandages) increases the risk of tissue damage. damaged or dead cells (necrosis).

Steps

Prepare before wrapping bandages

Thumb bandage

Advice

Warning

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