Proper Foot & Ankle Wrapping/Taping?

[Frank Dominguez]

I have suffered numerous injuries over the last few years to my feet and ankles. In fact, I have broken the fifth metatarsal on both feet and sprained my left ankle countless times. All these injuries have occurred even though I use athletic tape to help support my ankle & feet.

Is there a proper way to wrap or tape your foot & ankle? I see NFL football players getting it done on the sidelines during games. I am not sure how close to the toes to start, how tight to wrap or what to wrap with? Using tape and starting at the mid point of my foot has certainly not been ideal for me.

Any ideas or advise?

First time posting…thanks in advance for your help.

Frank

[Fulham Fan]

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nismat.org%2Ftraincor%2Fankle_tape.html

[Ray Luca]

I have suffered numerous injuries over the last few years to my feet and ankles. In fact, I have broken the fifth metatarsal on both feet and sprained my left ankle countless times. All these injuries have occurred even though I use athletic tape to help support my ankle & feet.

Is there a proper way to wrap or tape your foot & ankle? I see NFL football players getting it done on the sidelines during games. I am not sure how close to the toes to start, how tight to wrap or what to wrap with? Using tape and starting at the mid point of my foot has certainly not been ideal for me.

Any ideas or advise?

First time posting…thanks in advance for your help.

Frank

It sounds like what ever you have is a chronic problem. You get that by trying to play before it has healed itself.

So tape up it is done the same way as in pointy. It is easier to do if some one dies it for you.

Start with ace bandage and supported mire with tape.

Any way start with heal down and toes up once it feels comfortable you will know it is not going to stop circulation because you started with your foot already extended.

Start going around the instep and arch extended then up the ankle then tape it off.

Then take tape and cut it to make stirups funder arch up to the sides of the ankles. Then taks 3 more pieve of tape one around the ankle supporting the bottom of the ankle one on the top of the angle boned and the last one on the ankle bone.

If while your doing it you feel it is not right or un comforable re do it until it feels comfortable all the time heal down and toes extended up. So have some patience stop when you feel it feels right or do it again.

The problem is you have a chronic problem you misstep one day when it is not taped up and hurt yourself or it will give way while running for a cab and hurt yourself.

Buy a elastic band in a pharasuital store the kind they use for reabilitating an ankle after an indury and strech the ankle with it every day. Also jump rope it helps strenthen the angle.

[camerony]

I've just rolled my right ankle and it's pretty painful atm, I've only just recovered from my left ankle when it rolled about 2 months ago. I've never had any problems with my ankles before but I've been wearing orthotics and playing just about every day of the week so that may be it.

With that link Fulham Fan, it says that the strapping method was for ankles that have problems rolling inward...mine was rolled outward, would this strapping method still work?

Thanks

[Fulham Fan]

I think you would definitely have to change the taping method. There's this instruction:

"Two heel locks are then applied to the ankle's medial and lateral aspects, making sure to pull on the medial aspect last, to finish the tape job pulling the foot into eversion."

If you have an eversion sprain (rolled outwards), you probably want to try pulling the foot into inversion. It's like leaning forward to avoid falling backwards: wherever the sprain is sending your foot, you should tape to pull it in the opposite direction. I don't know if pulling on the lateral aspect last will do the trick. I'm sure others on Bigsoccer will have suggestions for you.