Ben Torres's picture

Ankle Taping Will Not Cure Your Ankle Sprain

Ankle taping will not fix your injury. Often times,athletes, especially young club level athletes will ask, "My ankle hurts. Can you tape it?" They often ask the question as if some piece of overpriced tape cloth will be the end all, be all cure to their ankle problems. However, this just isn't true.

Research from Olmstead et al has indicated that ankle taping or bracing is effective in preventing ankle sprains with athletes that already have a history of the injury. Additional research from Purcell et al  even expresses that non traditional taping techniques, such as using self adherent tape can restrict movements that lead to an ankle sprain. While evidience suggests that ankle taping is effective as a preventative method, in no way is it recommended as a cure!  Sure, ankle taping can help you function on the field, it can help prevent further re-injury to an ankle with a history of sprains. But at the end of the day, ankle taping will not fix the order to fix an ankle sparin, treatment is needed. That means, under the guidance of a sports medicine clinician, you need a specific ankle rehabiltiation protocol, some actual treatment, and a return to play protocol.

Ultimately, there are no short cuts here. If you have a sprained ankle and you only resolve to tape it without treatment. You are only delaying the inevitable. Your performance will slowly worsen and you will likely put yourself at risk for greater injury. 

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