Wrapping Knee For Running
How to Use a Knee Wrap for Running – Step Instructions on Wrapping Your Knee
Knee injuries are notoriously hard to recover from. Treating them can feel like a never-ending cycle of pain, recovery, and setbacks.
Fortunately, there are several self-care techniques you can use to reduce your risk of knee injuries, including the use of a knee wrap.
A knee wrap is a simple, low-cost tool that can provide relief, stability, and comfort to your knee joints while you exercise.
Here are step-by-step instructions on Wrapping your Knee for Running.
What is a Knee Wrap?
Just as it sounds, a knee wrap is a specially designed piece of material that is meant to be wrapped around your knee in a crisscross fashion.
The purpose of a knee wrap is to provide support to the knee ligaments, muscles and cartilage in and around the knee joint.
Note, you don’t have to have a knee injury to use a knee wrap. In fact, many athletes and individuals choose to wear knee wraps while they run as a preventative measure. On a side note, at The Best Knee Braces, we couldn’t be happier to hear this. We always recommend prevention as the best form of cure for injuries.
A knee wrap can be made from different types of materials. They are typically made from an elastic type of material, so that it can be custom fitted to any knee shape and size. The elastic properties also allows the user to adjust the amount of compression felt by the knee wrap. This is important to prevent the wrap from cutting into the skin and stopping circulation of the blood while you run.
Wrapping Knee For Running Instructions – Step-by-Step Guide
Below we are going to step through the process of wrapping your knee for running so you your knee feels supported.
- (Step 1) Find a seat and place your leg in a natural position (not too bent or too straight)
- (Step 2) Open you knee wrap material and begin wrapping below the knee cap /patella (it should be located around the top of the calf muscle). Proceed around the leg with one full wrap. This part does not have to be too tight as the compression and support will occur later.
- (Step 3) Once you have completed your wrap around the lower knee, proceed up the side of the knee in a diagonal fashion applying tension to the knee wrap.
- (Step 4) You should proceed around the leg above the knee joint, around the lower section of your quadriceps muscle. Again this part does not require a lot of tension.
- (Step 5) Once you have completed one full circuit around the upper leg, proceed diagonally down again on the opposite side of the knee joint that you came up. Again apply more tension to this part of the knee wrap.
- (Step 6) Repeat this FULL PATTERN one more time around the knee, remembering to apply more tension on the diagonal sections of the wrap.
- (Step 7) Once you have completed the pattern, complete the knee wrap and smooth it out to ensure there are no gaps or loose areas of the wrap.
There you have it – a clear and simple guide to wrapping knee for running.
Looking for the Best Knee Wraps for Running? Check out our Buyers Guide for a quick and easy solution.
Will a Knee Wrap Help my Knee Injury?
As we pointed out earlier in our write-up, knee wraps are meant to provide support to the knee joint.
So, should you use a knee wrap for a knee injury?
We are going to be honest with you, the short answer is NO.
If you have a specific knee injury, you should be using a KNEE BRACE for targeted support to your knee injury. A knee wrap only provides general support to the knee joint. Whereas, knee braces are designed to provide support to areas of the knee that require compression, extra padding, etc.
Do you have a specific knee injury you are trying to treat? Check out our Guides to the Best Knee Braces for Knee Injuries.
Final Thoughts for Wrapping Knee for Running
Using a knee wrap can give you confidence to perform at your optimum while you are running.
Knee wraps help to provide support and protection from the constant pressure and strain that running places on your knee joint.
However, in order for the knee wrap to provide these benefits, it needs to be applied correctly. It is for this reason we have provided you with step-by-step instructions for wrapping your knee for running.
Now you can hit the track with confidence!
Until next time – Happy running everyone!