What is Cohesive Bandage and what can I use it for?

Cohesive bandage is a type of bandage that coheres to itself but doesn’t adhere well to skin, hair or other materials. This makes it an ideal solution for any taping job that requires tape to be wrapped around a limb without the commonly associated pain of waxing the hair off your skin when it comes to removal. Cohesive bandage is woven in a way that allows for maximum stretch giving it a bumpy in texture and feel, similar to ‘chicken skin’. However, it is because of this texture that the cohesive bandage is able to stretch to up to double its un-stretched length. This stretch allows for a great amount of adaptability when choosing the level of compression needed for the situation. For example, cohesive bandage could be used to lightly wrap and support a minor finger injury applying very little stretch, or alternatively it can be stretched tightly to provide heavy compression to a bleeding wound.

What can I use Cohesive Bandage for?

Cohesive bandage can be applied to offer a range of support levels for injured joints depending on the amount of tension in the bandage, and number of layers that you apply. For example, if you were using cohesive bandage to wrap an ankle sprain, you would avoid applying too much stretch as this may create over constriction if the joint swells. However, you can achieve a high level of support without over-constriction by simply applying more layers. As you wrap over more layers, the cohesive bandage quickly becomes firms, especially if you press the layers together Cohesive bandage has a large variety of uses. With it’s flexibility and also the ability to only stick to itself, it has become a firm favourite in sport’s industry. Extremely popular in the footballing world, Cohesive Bandage has become a great choice as a replacement for the PVC Sock Tape. It can hold up socks, shin-pads and offer added protection to a Goalkeeper’s hands, fingers and wrists. It can also for holding ice & heat packs in place, supporting injuries, protecting dressings and also for rugby ear protection, it’s a must have in any kit.

Benefits of using Cohesive Bandage

Cohesive bandage does not give – unlike with some strapping tapes, where you often have to apply them more tightly than you want them to be to compensate for stretch. Cohesive bandage, does not have this level of give, and stays put until it is removed. You can tear it by hand – Cohesive bandage can be torn both length and width ways. No more hunting for your scissors Use and reuse – Because cohesive bandage is not sticky, it cannot ‘loose stickiness’. So if you make a mistake during application you can just unpeel it and start again. This means that if you want, you can repeatedly reuse the same piece of cohesive bandage. (Although if you’ve used it getting sweaty in the gym, you might not want to.)