When participating in sports, the joints in an athlete's body can be very prone to injury and will often require sports first aid treatment
. Wrist and ankle joints are especially susceptible to injury, so the wearing of sports supports can be a very effective way of preventing joint injuries as well as protecting existing injuries.
Prevention
Sports first aid can be used pro-actively to prevent joint injuries from happening in the first place. Sports supports such as small, lightweight stretch-grip bandages can be worn to help prevent an ankle or wrist joint from being painfully pushed beyond its normal range of motion. This small measure of extra support to the joint and surrounding areas can potentially be enough to limit the effects of a major sprain to nothing more than a light twist. Many athletes quickly become accustomed to wearing these smaller supports on a near permanent basis as they are so light that their presence is soon forgotten.
Protection
Protective supports are typically larger and more robust than preventative supports as they are generally used to help stop an existing injury from getting any worse. An ankle or a wrist joint can become weak after an initial injury and so is consequently more susceptible to repeat injuries in the future. To counteract this, protective supports often have strong carbon fibre or metal elements in them to ensure that the joint stays fully supported while remaining tightly bound in place. These supports can be relatively large and are often worn for long periods of time, so it is very important that they are comfortable to wear. To this end, protective supports are made of modern lightweight materials which are very well padded so that the skin around the injured area can breathe adequately and doesn't suffer any damage from chaffing.