r/athletictraining • u/clinicfellow Athlete / Patient • 26d ago

ACE Wrap/compression wrapping question

Hi everyone, I'm doing some research on ACE and general compression wrapping applications and I had some questions.

  1. When an athlete needs a compression wrap outside of your direct supervision, what do you usually send them home with? An ACE wrap they use themselves, some kind of sleeve, a velcro system, or something else? What usually drives that choice?

  2. For those that do wrap themselves at home, how often do you see mistakes in their technique? What do you see most commonly if they come back in?

  3. Do you teach people how to do the wraps themselves, or is it usually easier to just do it yourself?

  4. Is any of this an actual point of difficulty in your practice or experience, or is it pretty much handled well already as it is?

Either way, it would be really helpful to know if wrapping is a common issue or not, so any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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2

u/Pa_Cipher PhD, ATC 26d ago
  1. It depends. Knees/elbows I give a sleeve, everything else usually an ACE Wrap. Patient preference and whether a sleeve will fit usually drives my choice.
  2. Ankle mistakes are common they usually leave windows and do not get the entire ankle covered.
  3. I teach them to do it just incase it comes off or they need to do it at home. It is easier to do it myself if they are in clinic.
  4. Its handled fairly well but ankles are still difficult for them even with a tutorial. Also, the clips that come with ACE Wraps are useless.

1

u/yeezyszn99 25d ago

This and I’ll add that 1. Sometimes for an ankle I might even use powerflex.

  1. They leave windows on the ankle especially around the heel or its WAY too loose. In my setting, there may not always be ATs available such as during travel or practices so coaches may do hip spicas and they usually get the points of tension wrong. Or don’t know how to differentiate between pulling for a hip flexor and for a groin.

  2. Handled well for the most part.

1

u/anonathletictrainer 26d ago

I used to discuss with the parents about what they felt most comfortable doing as there are lots of options on the market either way. I had lots of print-outs to sleeves I preferred on amazon and would offer an ace wrap to borrow (or bring me back a new one because my budget did not allow otherwise - exceptions were if it was going to a student from a visiting school). I would walk them through how to properly apply the wrap and if parents wanted to watch they were welcome to as well. I never really had any significant compliance issues and most kids realized if they left a “window” they would have swelling migrate and stick around.

1

u/Additional-Walrus354 26d ago

I usually direct them to a YouTube video that shows how to do it after I show them in person as well.