Bandage

A bandage is a piece of material used as support for a wound or injury, or to provide compression. When used with a dressing, the dressing is applied directly on a wound, and a bandage is used to hold the dressing in place. Other bandages are used without dressings, such as elastic bandages, which are used to reduce swellings or to provide support to a sprained joint. Bandages used in healing protect the area from contamination and further trauma. Tight bandages can be used to slow blood flow to an extremity, such as when a leg or arm is bleeding heavily.

Bandages are available in a wide range of types, from generic cloth strips to specially shaped bandages designed for a specific limb or part of the body. The location of the wound determines the type used. Bandages can often be improvised as the situation demands, using clothing, blankets or other material. In American English, the word bandage is often used to indicate a small gauze dressing attached to an adhesive bandage.