Why Do Soccer Players Tape Their Ankles?

Many an athlete's season is cut short by an ankle injury. So protecting the ankles is extremely important. But the most effective method of ankle protection is hotly debated among athletes and coaches. Some swear by ankle braces. Others choose taping. The usual ankle taping style is a modified basket weave that winds tightly around the heels. Many coaches and athletic trainers are expert in this taping procedure.

Taping Pros And Cons

Taping aficionados prefer their method because it's less bulky than wearing an ankle brace. A study by Steve Robbins et al. published in the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" in 1995, found that taping improved the proprioception in young men. Proprioception is the body's ability to know where it is in space, and is related to balance. But taping also has drawbacks. Since tape must constantly be replaced, it gets expensive. It requires expertise in application to provide adequate support and to avoid problems, including blisters and tape cuts. Because the tape stretches, it quickly loses its effectiveness as a support.

Ankle Braces

Ankle braces have many advantages over taping. They're reusable, which is more financially and environmentally sound. An athlete doesn't require assistance when putting on a brace. Unlike stretchy tape, braces provide long lasting support. Braces are also adjustable, so could be loaned to a teammate. However, braces are bulkier than tape.

Study of Female Soccer Players

Wellesley College, an all female school, has many women athletes. Researchers Sharon Sharpe et al. decided to study the school's soccer players to determine if bracing prevented ankle injuries. They divided 38 collegiate varsity soccer players, all of whom had previously sprained an ankle, into four groups. One group wore laced ankle braces, one taped their ankles, one used a combination of taping and ankle brace, and the fourth had no bracing whatsoever. All players engaged in the same number of practices and competitive games. By the end of the study, none of the group wearing the ankle braces had reinjured their ankles, but 25 percent of both the taped and combination groups had, and 35 percent of those with no added protection. They published this study in the March 1997 issue of the "Journal of Athletic Training."
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Placebo Effect Study

Four researchers from the University of Sydney, including Kate Sawkins, investigated whether ankle taping provided a placebo effect to people with ankle instability. They published their results in the May 2007 issue of "Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise." Thirty participants were instructed to execute a hopping and balance test. Some had their ankles taped with real tape, the control group had no tape, and a third group had placebo tape but thought it was real. The researchers found no difference in performance on the tests, but taped participants -- the real tape and the placebo group -- perceived themselves as doing better. They concluded that clinicians should continue ankle taping, while focusing on the patients' belief in the effectiveness of the tape as this faith may help prevent injury.