Taping an ankle vs wearing an ankle brace

Have you noticed that after you’ve sprained an ankle, it’s so easy to do it again? 

After an injury, regardless of how minor or severe, the ankle is very vulnerable to re-injury for many months. Ligaments, the structures that hold bones together, take a long time to fully heal. 

The best way to avoid further injury and still be able to do the activities you want to do is to wear some support on the ankle – either tape the ankle or wear a brace. Both of these options take some getting used to, but are effective at reducing the risk of additional injury.

The purpose of wearing tape or an ankle brace is to restrict the extremes of the range of motion and give support to ligaments and/or tendons. Here, I’ll give you some pros and cons of both, so you can make the decision that best works for you.

Taping

Pros

• More effective because it’s tighter fitting

• Can be performed differently to address an individual’s needs (tighter, looser, direction of pull, support specific structures)

• Not bulky

Cons

• Need someone to do it that knows what they’re doing

• Can loosen up over time, depending on which kind of tape is used

• Repeat expense

Wearing a brace

Pros

• Easy to put on

• Generally effective

• One time expense

• Easy to carry around

• Does not loosen up over time

Cons

• Bulky

• Trouble fitting into shoes/cleats

• Cannot be altered to address specific needs 

• Can be too restrictive or too loose

• Gets smelly! (Needs to be washed)

• Can get lost or forgotten (Mom! I can’t find my brace!)

An athlete, given the choice, would choose tape every time. The bulkiness of a brace is a huge factor for them, as well as being able to target specific structures with tape. It’s more effective without limiting their range of motion and therefore their performance, as much as a brace.