How does taping ankle help

Consult your primary care physician for more serious injuries that do not respond to basic first aid. Services are now available in five locations. To make an appointment, call or request an appointment online. Skip to Content. Urgent Care. In This Section.

Initially immobilization of the ankle may be required, but movement via active range of motion is beneficial. That movement must be controlled to prevent unnecessary stress on the healing tissue. With many ankle sprains, the stability provided by ankle taping reduces stress on those healing tissues. You should be able to function with less pain and move more safely. Myth 3: Taping my ankles should mask my pain. The use of athletic tape should never be done to mask pain, though it can certainly reduce it.

If you are taped up and still experience pain with functional performance, you could still be damaging tissue and interrupting the healing process. You should also understand that athletic tape loses some degree of support when it experiences the stresses of movement.

The tension of the tape wears down and the supportive effects are minimized somewhat. Therefore, a re-application of tape may be necessary.

Myth 4: Ankle braces are better than ankle taping. While taping your ankle injury properly can help you stabilize the ankle, it can also add friction to the area.

Make sure to prevent blistering by:. Taping your ankle is useful when you need to be active or walk around, but it's only one part of R. The pads and prewrap protect the skin by reducing friction, which results in fewer blisters, and makes removing the tape easier and less painful. Next, a base layer of 1 to 3 pieces of tape, called anchor strips, are placed at the base of the calf muscle, half on the prewrap and half on the skin. The anchor strips do just what they imply; they anchor the tape by providing a base for the other tape pieces to stick.

Then, the athletic trainer adds a series of alternating stirrup and horseshoe strips, forming a weave Fig. When the stirrup strips are done, they should form a fan shape to cover the malleoli the bony projections at the ankle. The horseshoe strips provide the basic support needed at the sides of the ankle joint. Next, the trainer applies 2 heel-locks that keep the heel in place, slightly limiting motion and providing support for the ankle.

Then the trainer places strips in the shape of a figure 8.