Ankle sprains make up to 10-28% of all sports injuries leading to the longest absences from athletic activity. The most common type of ankle sprain would the simple lateral ankle sprain. Something many of us may had experienced where our foot rolls underneath our ankle injuring the ligaments around the outer knuckle. A frequently used measure to prevent this common injury from occurring is to use adhesive rigid tape to protect the ankle joint.
A high quality study published in 2010 out of the University of South Australia by Reyes and Dizon found that using an external ankle support reduced the chance of ankle sprain by roughly 70% give or take a few percentage points. No particular type of ankle support was found to be more superior to the other. This means that whether you choose to tape your ankle using rigid tape or to use a lace up brace; the difference is negligible.
However, applying an external support will change how the joints above will function. A study out of the University of Western Australia in 2010 found that by limiting motion at the ankle, the forces will be redistributed to the knee. Particularly during side to side motions and cutting manoeuvres, athletes who had their ankles taped experienced a trend in additional force on their knees. This would potentially increase the risk of injuring the ligaments in the knee, including the dreaded....dreaded anterior-cruciate ligament.
Using ankle taping or external supports in general are a sound way to prevent ankle sprains in isolation. However if you have a history of knee and hip problem it is worth discussing this with a sports physiotherapist about the risk versus reward as it may be a complex decision to make when deciding to tape ankles prophylactically.
Written by Daniel Nguyen
Lead sports physiotherapist for the Basketball Victoria SDP
References:
Dizon, J. M. R., & Reyes, J. J. B. (2010). A systematic review on the effectiveness of external ankle supports in the prevention of inversion ankle sprains among elite and recreational players. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13(3), 309–317.doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2009.05.002
Stoffel, Karl K.; Nicholls, Rochelle L.; Winata, Andrianto R.; Dempsey, Alasdair R.; Boyle, Jefferey J. W.; Lloyd, David G. (2010). Effect of Ankle Taping on Knee and Ankle Joint Biomechanics in Sporting Tasks. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 42(11), 2089–2097. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181de2e4f