CHANGES IN INTERFACE PRESSURE UNDER ELASTIC AND SHORT-STRETCH BANDAGES DURING POSTURE CHANGES AND EXERCISE

Objective: To evaluate the pressure under short-stretch and elastic ba ndages. Design: Prospective study in 20 healthy volunteers, comparing the two different kinds of bandages. Setting: Department of Surgery, A ichi Prefectural College of Nursing, Nagoya, Japan. Main outcome measu res: Pressure measurements were made beneath the bandages with differe nt initial pressures of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 mmHg, during su pine resting, standing, tip-toe exercise and walking. Results: Short-s tretch bandages showed a significant increase in pressure during stand ing and exercise at lower initial pressures compared with elastic band ages. In analysing the pressure waveform during tip-toe exercise and w alking, a significantly greater pressure difference between muscle con traction and relaxation was noted for short-stretch bandages compared with elastic bandages at any initial pressures. Conclusions: Shea-stre tch bandages produce a higher working pressure and a larger pressure d ifference during exercise. However, the effect depends on the initial pressures at the time of application. In clinical practice, prevention of a decrease in pressure with time and uniform application of bandag es are important.