Athletic trainers tape many ankles over the course of a year. Most athletes don’t like getting their ankles taped, but sometimes it is necessary. Athletes don’t like the way it feels or they think it slows them down, but it helps them more than it hurts them. Here are a few benefits of getting your ankles taped.
The first and probably the most obvious benefit is that it provides stabilization and proprioception. The tape is firm and has very little stretch. When it is applied, it is very tight fitting and doesn’t allow for much movement of the ankle.2 With a stable ankle, athletes can perform at their highest level. Since the tape is wrapped so tightly around the ankle, it helps the body with proprioception. Proprioception is the body’s awareness of itself in space. When the body loses proprioception we get hurt (sprain ankle, break leg, tear acl). The tape allows for the ankle to be stiff and tight all the time which keeps athletes from spraining their ankles because they have good proprioception.2
Another benefit of wearing tape is that it prevents athletes from injury.1 Most of the time when someone gets their ankle taped is is for precautionary reasons. It is possible to sprain the ankle with tape on but it is highly unlikely. So if an athlete gets theirs ankles taped they will have good stabilization and proprioception and this will prevent injury from occurring.1 Injury prevention is a major concern of an athletic trainer. Taping ankles is a tool that athletic trainers should utilize to help prevent injuries.
Taping ankles is very easy and it only takes a few minutes. It would be very hard for someone to tape their own ankles so help would be needed. If anybody is going to be participating in any activity where spraining their ankle is possible I would recommend them getting their ankles taped. People could prevent themselves from getting hurt and it only takes a few extra minutes.
References
1Ankle Taping. (2008, January 1). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/11244150/ankle-taping-ankle-strapping-physioadvisor.htm
2Beam, J. (2006). Ankle. In Orthopedic Taping, Wrapping, Bracing & Padding (pp. 91-96). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
Do you think that taping an ankle is more effective than wearing an ankle brace? Also does someone need to be trained in how to tape an ankle or is there an accurate technique to how the taping of the ankle functions?
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