bandage

thumb|Achilles bandaging [[Patroclus. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, ca. 500 BC, from Vulci.]] thumb|Bandage wrapped around a woman's head, secured with surgical tape thumb|right|Bandages are also used in martial arts to prevent dislocated joints. thumb|The double-spica bandage used on thigh injuries in ancient Greece

A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support for the movement of a part of the body. 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. Tight bandages can be used to slow blood flow to an extremity, such as when a leg or arm is bleeding heavily.