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 bandages. Design: Prospective study in 20 healthy volunteers, comparing the two different kinds of bandages. Setting: Department of Surgery, Aichi Prefectural College of Nursing, Nagoya, Japan. Main outcome measures: Pressure measurements were made beneath the bandages with different initial pressures of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 mmHg, during supine resting, standing, tip-toe exercise and walking. Results: Short-stretch bandages showed a significant increase in pressure during standing and exercise at lower initial pressures compared with elastic bandages. In analysing the pressure waveform during tip-toe exercise and walking, a significantly greater pressure difference between muscle contraction and relaxation was noted for short-stretch bandages compared with elastic bandages at any initial pressures. Conclusions: Short-stretch bandages produce a higher working pressure and a larger pressure difference 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 bandages are important.