Great for minor sprains and pulled muscles (Boots Tubigrip Support Bandage)

Member Name: norton501

Product:	Boots Tubigrip Support Bandage
Date:	18/08/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Multipurpose good for all sorts of minor injuries

Disadvantages: you need to cut holes in it if used on your wrist etc., as it is just a tube (minor point)

Being quite clumsy and awful at sports at school, I was always being ushered towards a bit of tubigrip by both GPs and my parents when I had pulled a muscle.

Now, I always like to have a few lengths of tubigrip in the house. It is very easy to use (just pull it on and double it over for extra support- you cut it to size too). After going to university and moving house around 12 times in 6 years, I recently went hunting for the ever faithful slightly worn bits of tubigrip i've re-used when required only to find them "missing". 'Eek' I thought.

I trotted along to Boots one lunchtime and paid £3.29 for a metre of size C tubigrip. This comes in an assortment of sizes (from Boots: B-F) B is the smallest I have seen, for a small wrist going up to F for larger thighs. I find size C the most multifunctional size for me- it is sized by width so a C will fit on my calf, knee, elbow and at a push my wrists, but it would not be that snug so: should I damage one of my wrists, I'd buy the smaller size (I have very small wrists though). I'd say for size 6-10 females, go for a size C, for small or medium males, size C- D for general wrist/ calves use.

As I do a lot of walking (about 5 miles a day) and pilates and other bits of excercise, I find I get sore muscles (calves, ankles mainly) and every so often I will wear a tubigrip support just to take the edge off a pulled or tweaked muscle. I have sprained my ankles before but found tubigrip too painful to use in the first 24 hours on a bad sprain as the area was bruised so applying the tubigrip really really hurt. After the initial swelling went down, then the tubigrip came out for the few weeks afterwards as a support.

Tubigrip is fantastic as a support for your muscles or if you have weakened muscles due to previous injuries. My dad always uses a tubigrip bandage when he goes ballroom dancing as he finds his ankles need a little support now he is in his 70s.

I would not recommend tubigrip if you have anything more serious than a sprained/ tweaked/ torn or pulled muscle unless it is a week or a few weeks after your injury and the worst is over. I think as a general rule, tubigrip is great to have in the house, you can wash it and re-use it and it will last for many years general use. If it is too painful to actually put the tubigrip on, then I would advise seeing a doctor/ using a roll around elasticated bandage instead. Also- you are not supposed to leave tubigrip on when you go to bed. I did this once when I was younger and woke up with a hugely swollen foot !

Summary: Great to keep a length of this in your first aid kit