Braces or Taping?

As you may or may not know we order custom braces for various injuries. As many of you know we also use tape to help support many of the different injuries as well. So what is the difference? Why do we use tape instead of suggesting a brace or vice versa?
There are several reasons behind this. One reason is price. Braces are expensive. A brace for a knee can cost as little as $100 all the way upwards of $2000 depending on the kind of bracing that is needed for the injury. Tape in comparison is relatively cheap. You can buy a whole box of tape for under $100.
Another reason we may suggest one over the other is the severity of the injury. A brace may be recommended to get through the first few days or weeks after an injury if it is severe enough or if the injury becomes a chronic problem. This will give the injury its best chance to heal by giving the muscles a good rest as they are completely supported by the brace. Tape may be used as an injury is in the final stages of healing to support some of the strain on the muscles while still allowing some movement, allowing the muscles to continue getting stronger.
The final reason we'll discuss is that braces can also breed dependence. As hinted at above, braces take over for the targeted muscles so they don't have to work. This could lead to atrophy of the muscles (loss of muscles mass) leading to weakness and possible another injury. This often leads people to rely on the brace more and more. Taping as mentioned above allows for some movement and keeps the muscles working (even if it is just a little bit) often leading to less atrophy.
These are all things that are taken into consideration when we suggest taping an injury or ordering a brace for an injury, but there are many others as well. Here is an article that discusses these reasons and a few others: 

https://blog.muellersportsmed.com/taping-vs-bracing-which-is-right-for-your-injury?fbclid=IwAR15IuhPYv8z-U9_kgmrOzhJNAUdxeLbjMVVJbCiVgDKaSjH1gdn4KXc9Q4