How to Tape an Ankle

Here is a quick tutorial on how to tape an ankle.

White athletic tape

Pre Wrap

Scissors (to cut tape if needed)

To start off taping begin with a strip or two around the top of the ankle and a strip around the metatarsal area of the foot right before the toes. This will secure the pre-wrap to make sure it doesn’t unravel and stays tight.

The first step to taping an ankle is knowing when the ankle needs to be taped. If the ankle is puffy and starting to show black and blue these are common signs it needs to be taped. Remove the shoe and sock to start taping. Making sure the foot is at a 90-degree angle, grab the roll of mesh pre-wrap and beginning at the top of the ankle, and wrap the ankle to start of the toes completely. The pre-wrap can be applied several times around making sure it is an even coat and no skin is showing. However, when applying the pre-wrap on the foot, do not have it crinkled anywhere. This can cause the foot to be uncomfortable when it is in an activity.

The next step will be to apply a stirrup. The stirrup is a strip of tape starting on the inside of the ankle, going under the heel, and connecting on the outside of the ankle. Repeat these two or three times so there are a total of two or three total stirrups.

Continuing the process, with the white athletic tape, start to fill in the areas of pre-wrap with tape. Starting at the top of the ankle wrap the ankle down to the heel with tape applying evenly. Follow the foot all the way down to the metatarsal area without going around the heel.

Now that this is complete, we will make a figure-eight shape around the ankle. Start on the inside of the ankle, go around the front, then under the heel, and finish the shape going around the front to the outside of the ankle. Do the figure-eight shape two more times for a total of three times.

To finish the process, make sure there are no areas of pre-wrap showing. If there is any pre-wrap showing, go around the area with the athletic tape. This will complete the taping process so these supplies can be put back.