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Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tape an Ankle
St. Paul, MN
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Injuries to the ankle are one of the most prevalent injuries among the athletic population. The most common mechanism of spraining an ankle is plantar flexion and inversion. When this happens, an athlete may state that they “rolled over” their ankle.
While it is not uncommon to see professional, collegiate and high school athletes sporting ankle tape during practices and competitions, it is cautioned that taping be done in a proper manner and only in the case of an ankle injury. If an athlete has weak ankles or a history of ankle injuries, it is best to use an ankle brace and follow up this wearing of a brace with therapy to increase ankle flexibility, strength and proprioception.
Each injury of the ankle poses a different way for the certified athletic trainer to position the foot and tape the ankle for maximum comfort, range of movement and overall injury prevention. The most common way to tape an ankle is called the basket weave and is used for acute injuries.
Gathering the correct supplies is essential when taping an ankle for athletic injuries. One will need heel and lace pads to prevent cuts and blisters on the ankle, pre-wrap, and 1 ½ inch white athletic tape.
To begin, have the athlete sit on a table with their ankle off the edge. Make sure that the athlete holds their foot in a dorsiflexed position, otherwise known as a 90-degree angle. Place the heel and lace pads on the front and back of the ankle, securing them in place with a layer of pre-wrap that is put around the foot and ankle. The pre-wrap should end halfway up the foot.
Place the first tape anchor below the belly of the calf muscle. Place a second strip of tape overlapping the first and a third overlapping that one. Then place another anchor over the styloid process of the 5th metatarsal (the bone on the outside of the foot). These anchor strips prevent the taping from rolling down the foot.
Starting on the medial (inside) of the ankle, start a stirrup on the anchors and wrap it under the foot ending it on the lateral side. If taping for an inversion sprain, give a little pull with this. If taping for an eversion sprain, keep foot in neutral. Repeat the stirup two more times.
Close off the stirrups with strips around the ankle until you get close to the top of the foot. Starting medially, you will add a heel lock then add one starting laterally and repeat again. After the heel locks you will finish with a figure six. Start with a strip of tape over the medial malleolus then wrap it under the foot and around the top ending on the medial side again. When finished close off the tape job with strips all the way down the ankle to prevent any of the tape peeling off.
Taping should be done by a trained professional in order to prevent further injury.
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