title: Buddy taping: is it a safe method for treatment of finger and toe injuries?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Buddy taping is a well known and useful method for treating sprains, dislocations, and other injuries of the fingers or toes. However, the authors have often seen complications associated with buddy taping such as necrosis of the skin, infections, loss of fixation, and limited joint motion. To our knowledge, there are no studies regarding the complications of buddy taping. The purpose of this study was to report the current consensus on treating finger and toe injuries and complications of buddy taping by using a specifically designed questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was designed for this study, which was regarding whether the subjects were prescribed buddy taping to treat finger and toe injuries, reasons for not using it, in what step of injury treatment it was use, indications, complications, kinds of tape for fixation, and special methods for preventing skin injury. Fifty-five surgeons agreed to participate in the study and the survey was performed in a direct interview manner at the annual meetings of the Korean Pediatric Orthopedic Association and Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand, in 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-eight surgeons (87%) used buddy taping to treat finger and toe injuries, especially proximal interphalangeal (PIP) injuries of the hand, finger fractures, toe fractures, metacarpophalangeal injuries of the hand, and PIP injuries of the foot. Sixty-five percent of the surgeons experienced low compliance. Forty-five percent of the surgeons observed skin injuries on the adhesive area of the tape, and skin injuries between the injured finger and healthy finger were observed by 45% of the surgeons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study sheds light on the current consensus and complications of buddy taping among physicians. Low compliance and skin injury should be considered when the clinician treats finger and toe injuries by using buddy taping.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Won
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sanglim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Chin Youb
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Myongji Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Hyuk
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Gyun
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Donnguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Hyeong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Gyu
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Yeol
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Seok
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013165:Splints / Q000009:adverse effects*; D053832:Surgical Tape; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014034:Toes / Q000293:injuries*
keywords: Buddy taping; Complication; Finger; Injury; Toe