Tight bandages can be used to slow blood flow to an extremity, such as when a leg or arm is bleeding heavily.
Conversely, the stability of the bandage creates a very high resistance to stretch when pressure is applied through internal muscle contraction and joint movement.
The Boy Scouts popularized the use of this bandage in many of their first aid lessons, as a part of the uniform is a "neckerchief" that can easily be folded to form a cravat.
It is used to hold dressings or splints on to limbs, or to provide support to sprains and strains, so that it stops bleeding.
A new type of bandage was invented in 2016; inspired by the art of kirigami, it uses parallel slits to better fit areas of the body that bend.