Pick your bandage. But there’s a fine line between a well-taped ankle, and one that’s taped too tight or doesn’t provide the needed support. Keep the tail rolled so that you can unroll it as you go, rather than dealing with an unwieldy long piece as you're trying to wrap. ". Wrapping an ankle is a common way to treat sprains or to stabilize an ankle that is prone to injury. Examples include: Shop for heel and lace pads, taping base spray, and prewrap online. According to an article in the journal Best Practice and Research: Clinical Rheumatology, 28 percent of people treated with tape report the most common adverse effects are discomfort from too-tight tape or an allergic reaction or sensitivity to the tape. This involves centering a piece of tape under the arch and bringing the two ends across the front of the lower leg to create an X. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. The thing you have to do is, put either a gauze pad or a doubled piece of cloth to the top end of the ankle (Where the leg comes to an end) as the support with some layers. After the third wrap, wind the bandage around the ankle, then back over the instep and under the foot. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 222,128 times. X Some people don’t circle the tape around the ankle, but instead cross it like an X. Starting on the inner aspect of the arch, bring the tape across the foot, angling down toward the heel. The tape wrap may be worn all day and during physical activity. Here’s our process. Did you know you can read expert answers for this article? Kinesio tape doesn’t cover most of the foot and ankle as athletic tape does. 12 May 2020. All rights reserved. A wrap constructed from tape includes a bottom layer of underwrap, which protects the skin from getting pulled too much by the tape, and a layer of tape that is adhered to the underwrap in a pattern that supports the ankle. Gather your materials. You may also need additional anchor strips. Athletes may find ace bandages to be cumbersome when worn during physical activity. Apply an oil-based product, such as baby oil or cooking oil, to the tape. While most people will pull a muscle in their lower backs at some point, these injuries usually heal within several days. If the tape is especially persistent, consider using an adhesive remover wipe. KT Tape for Ankle Stability JavaScript seems to … They create a bulky padding around the ankle that can make it more difficult to run and jump. This article was co-authored by Catherine Cheung, DPM. © 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. If he or she complains that it's too tight, start over. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5d\/Wrap-an-Ankle-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Wrap-an-Ankle-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5d\/Wrap-an-Ankle-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1387701-v4-728px-Wrap-an-Ankle-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"