PURPOSE: Stabilise the ankle joint (talocrural joint and subtalar joint) against excessive lateral rotation (supination and pronation) without impairing normal ankle joint movement (plantar and dorsal flexion). For severe sprains, ‘stirrups’, ‘ankle locks’ and possibly ‘figure 8s’ are applied, but for mild sprains ‘stirrups’ are sufficient. The tape is initially used all day and is gradually reduced over the following 3 months. Finally, the tape is only used for particularly risky loads.
TAPING: First, place one or two ‘tape anchors’ around the lower leg 10-20 cm above the ankle joint (A). Start on the anchor on the inside of the lower leg, bring the tape forward in front of the leg and down over the outer ankle bone, behind the heel just below the Achilles tendon, down under the heel and up the outside of the leg to the anchor. Similarly, you can apply an ankle lock on the inner side if the inner ligament is torn. Finally, finish with another strip of tape on top of the ‘anchor’ A.
