DIY Jumper's Knee Strap

Jumper's knee has plagued many professional and amateur athletes. To compensate, many athletes use a jumper's knee strap. A jumper's knee strap can lessen pain of sports activities, assist with healing, correct patella alignment and prevent injuries. Jumper's knee straps can be expensive though. Taping is an alternative to purchasing a commercial strap. Utilizing a taping method is much cheaper by comparison. Taping is not only cheaper, professional athletes like Rafael Nadal actually prefer it to a strap. Taping allows a custom fit that can't always be achieved by a jumper's knee strap.

Instructions

• 1

  Sit on the floor and bend your knee so it forms a 90 degree angle.

• 2

  Wrap a small section of underwrap around the lower part of your patella. Start from the outside of your leg and wrap to the inside and around. You must do it in this direction so it won't unravel when you start taping. Underwrap is a thin foam mesh that can prevent pinching and chaffing from the taping process.

• 3

  Tape around the lower part of the patella just under the knee. Start from the outside of the leg going inside and around the back of the knee. Do this for just one rotation.

• 4

  Turn the roll of tape 180 degrees so it starts to twist on the next rotation around the knee. Repeat the rotational twisting around the knee three more times. The goal is to make a strong band under the knee cap that won't tear during active movement.

• 5

  Turn the roll of tape back to its normal angle so it isn't twisted anymore. From the side of the knee, tape one more rotation under the knee cap to cover the twisted tape. Again be sure to continue the same rotation around the knee, outside to inside and around the back.

• 6

  Follow step 4 once more, then follow step 5 once more. You should have a snug fit but shouldn't feel any pain. If you do experience pain from the tape, either during the taping process or while active, restart the process from step one.