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Steps for Wrapping Ankles

Aug 8, 2011 | By Rogue Parrish
Steps for Wrapping Ankles
Photo Credit Mark Kolbe/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

If you've had a previous ankle injury and want to continue to play sports, wrapping your ankles before practice and especially before competition makes sense to prevent a recurrence of the sprain. You can lace up a reusable ankle brace or tape your ankle. Your best bet is to have a friend, teammate or trainer help with the task, as they will have a more comfortable angle to wrap the ankle evenly.

Preparation

The process for all wraps begins with making sure the ankle is clean and dry. For best comfort, shave your lower leg and flex your ankle at a 90-degree angle. Spray on dry adherent, place heel pads on the Achilles tendon and top of the ankle and apply an underwrap -- a lighter tape designed to prevent chafing -- to the foot, ankle and lower leg.

Figure-Eight Strapping

To keep the wrap off your heel, a configuration often preferred by soccer players looking for maximum foot freedom within the wrapping, you can use the figure-eight wrapping method. A wrap of a wide nonelastic tape goes around the forefoot and continues diagonally to the calf, well above the lower heel. The wrap continues around the lower calf to create an anchor, diagonally across the ankle and down around the forefoot. The final wrap of the figure eight goes up diagonally around the lower calf. Alternatively, you can employ a cloth wrap cut to a length of 72 inches and small strips of tape to hold the cloth in place.

Basic Full-Ankle Strapping

For more support, you can adapt figure-eight strapping to fully cover the heel. After the forefoot wrap, guide the tape up the foot diagonally and around the back of the heel. The tape continues to loop around the midfoot and higher up on the ankle, then higher up around the heel, around the foot and around the heel again to complete coverage. Finish the tape around the ankle.

Closed Basket-Weave Wrap

This approach can work for volleyball and football players, for example, looking for support after repeated ankle injuries. A trainer places anchor strips fully around the leg about 6 inches above the ankle and fully around the instep of the foot. The steps continue with the application of a stirrup of tape from the instep to the leg strip, with a supporting strip called a horseshoe around the back of the lower ankle, which does not wrap fully around the front of the ankle. Two more stirrups and two more horseshoes cover additional ankle area. Horizontal strips close the wrap around the lower leg, followed by heel locks in the shape of a figure eight around the instep and ankle to complete the job and prevent ankle inversion injuries.

Checking Your Work

The process for all wraps continues with checking the taped ankle for comfort, circulation and sensation. You or your trainer will need to remove the tape if your skin is pale or cold, indicating that the tape is too tight. A tape cutter or bandage scissors can take off the wrap after the game.

References

Article reviewed by Jay Lawrence Last updated on: Aug 8, 2011

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