How to Tape Turf Toe

Whether you have stubbed your toe or closed your foot in a car door, that excruciating pain does not compare to the pain that turf toe causes. Turf toe is a common injury among athletes and it can potentially end the careers of professional athletes if not treated properly. Playing games on artificial surfaces is the most common cause of turf toe because these surfaces do not allow the foot to slide normally. Treat turf toe by stabilizing the foot with tape and get back out on the field for the rest of the game.

Things You'll Need

• Non-stretch sports tape (1-inch and 2-inch wide rolls)

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Instructions

• 1

  Remove any shoes and socks and elevate the foot so that you can work on it more easily. Carefully wrap a piece of 1-inch wide tape around the big toe making sure to go around the entire circumference of the toe.

• 2

  Apply two 5 inch pieces of 2-inch wide tape to the middle sole of the foot. Wrap them from the inside of the foot, around the sole and extend them to the outside of the foot. Be sure to spread the toes while doing this so you do not make the toes unable to flex when you walk. This tape will act an anchor point for the rest of the taping process.

• 3

  Extend four strips of 1-inch wide tape from the taped sole location up to the taped large toe. Start at the side of the foot and work your way toward the sole of the foot. Make sure the edges of the tape overlap each other because this is the support for the foot. Place another strip of 1-inch wide tape over the toe to secure the top of the four support strips.

• 4

  Apply another two pieces of 2-inch wide tape over the middle sole to secure the bottom of the four anchor strips. Assess the taping and be sure the toe cannot be flexed forward or extended backwards.