Athletic Sports Medicine on How to Tape an Ankle for Support

Ankles are prone to injuries such as sprains and strains, especially for athletes. One way to deal with this problem is to use athletic tape to wrap an ankle for support. If you wrap an ankle before a game or other athletic event, you can help prevent an injury from occurring. Wrapping an ankle after an injury has occurred can keep the ankle stabilized, and prevent further damage from being inflicted.

Things You'll Need

• Pre-tape wrap
• Athletic tape

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Instructions

• 1

  Prep the ankle by shaving the hair or covering the skin with pre-wrap tape; use a figure-eight wrapping pattern. Keep the foot flexed slightly up when taping.

• 2

  Wrap athletic tape around the top edge of the pre-wrap. This will help anchor the pre-wrap to the leg.

• 3

  Wrap a stirrup around the ankle. Place a piece of athletic on the anchor tape. Slide it down the leg, across the bottom of the foot and back up to the anchor tape on the other side. Add two more pieces of tape like this. Place the three stirrup-strips next to each other, not on top of each other.

• 4

  Place a strip of tape along the side of the foot, starting at the midpoint. Run the tape toward the ankle, around the back and to the midpoint on the other side of the foot. Position the tape so that it goes over the ankle bones.

• 5

  Wrap a strip of tape around the top of the foot and around the lower leg. Use a figure-eight pattern, and begin at the bottom of the foot.

• 6

  Place another strip of tape on one side of the ankle. Using that as a starting point, wrap the tape over the top of the foot and underneath. Use a figure-eight pattern to wrap the entire ankle. Keep wrapping the ankle until it is immobilized.