Compression Wrapping: What Is It, And How Can It Help? - Healthline

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Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT — Written by Tessa Sawyers — Updated on August 31, 2018

Common uses
Wrapping sprained ankle
Wrapping sprained wrist
Wrapping knees or legs
Takeaway

Overview

Compression wraps — also called compression bandages — are used for many different injuries or ailments. They’re a common staple in first aid procedures and often found in first aid kits. They’re typically inexpensive and can be purchased from the drugstore or online.

Common uses for compression wrapping

Compression bandages are used to apply pressure to a specific area or injury. They help minimize swelling by keeping fluids from gathering at the injury site.

Compression can also be applied through the use of compression sleeves, but these are usually used for long term pain or blood circulation management.

Common conditions where compression wrapping is used include:

wrist or ankle sprains
muscle strains
swollen limbs
varicose veins
contusions or bruises

How to wrap a sprained ankle

If you sprain your ankle, it’s likely that the doctor will tell you to wrap it to minimize swelling. If it’s a more severe sprain, you may require additional stable support. If your sprain is minor, a compression wrap alone will often do the trick.

Here are the steps for wrapping your ankle:

Hold your ankle at a 90-degree angle. Start by wrapping around the ball of your foot and arch twice.
With the bandage at the top of your foot, circle the bandage around your ankle and cross back over to the opposite side of your foot.
Do this in a figure-eight pattern, wrapping around the arch of the foot after each pass around the ankle.
When you cover your ankle, secure the end of the bandage somewhere that won’t bother your skin.
Make sure to keep the wrap taut, but not too tight.

How to wrap a sprained wrist

If you injure your wrist in a fall or accident, you may need to wrap it to help with the swelling and to speed up healing. A minor wrist sprain can often be treated with compression wrapping, but if you have severe pain in your wrist, seek medical attention.

Here are the steps for wrapping your wrist:

Wrap the bandage around your wrist once, starting at the pinky side of your hand and with your hand facing down.
Pull the bandage to your thumb side and wrap around your palm once.
Cross the bandage back down to your wrist and wrap again around the wrist.
Reverse your wrap to the pinky side of the hand and around the palm.
Wrap around the wrist again.
Use the rest of the wrap to stabilize the wrist. Make sure that you don’t wrap your wrist too tightly. If your fingers begin to tingle or go numb, you should remove the bandage and rewrap.

Wrapping knees or legs

Depending on your injury, you may or may not want to use a compression wrap. If you’re recovering from knee surgery, your surgeon may require you to use compression wraps to help the healing process.

The technique will be different for different types of injuries to the knee, shin, and thigh area. Be sure to consult your doctor for proper techniques so you don’t cut off circulation or cause your condition to further deteriorate.

The takeaway

If you have a minor sprain or strain, you may turn to compression wrapping to help alleviate swelling. Keep in mind that elastic bandages are for compression and provide minimal support.

Keep a close eye on your wrapped injury to make sure that the compression wrap isn’t cutting off circulation to your foot, hand, or any other part of your body.

If you’re unsure about how to wrap your injury, consult a doctor, athletic trainer, or other reputable source.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Application of different techniques of elasticbandage. (2018).https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03103048
Compressiontherapy. (2009).https://provider.ghc.org/open/caringForOurMembers/patientHealthEducation/conditionsDiseases/compressionTherapy.pdf
Hand and arm ace bandaging. (2018).https://www.uwhealth.org/healthfacts/burn/4405.pdf
Partsch H. (2012). Compression therapy: Clinicaland experimental evidence. (2012).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3641539/

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Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT — Written by Tessa Sawyers — Updated on August 31, 2018

Compression Wrapping: What Is It, And How Can It Help? - Healthline

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Overview

Common uses for compression wrapping

How to wrap a sprained ankle

How to wrap a sprained wrist

Wrapping knees or legs

The takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

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