Ankle Taping vs. Bracing: Effectiveness and Cost Comparison

Foot Anatomy and Injury Significance

The human foot has an extremely complex structure of bones, joints, and muscles. Meadows (2006) points out, "The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. With such a complex structure, a lot can go wrong. While some foot problems are inherited, many occur because of years of wear and tear."

Meadows identifies several warning signs and symptoms that can lead to foot injury, including excessively dry skin, thickened or discolored nails, swelling, redness, and unusual sensations. Foot injury is significant and cannot be overlooked, and even initial signs should not be treated lightly. However, research has shown that most doctors overlook foot inspection during routine patient visits.

Ankle sprains are perhaps one of the most frequently occurring foot injuries in America. A number of studies have shown that taped ankles cause less injury, while other studies have concluded that by wearing braced ankles, athletes can minimize foot injury (Reeves and Emel, 2009).

This paper provides an in-depth analysis on the differences between ankle tape and ankle braces and player satisfaction between the two. It presents information about the different types of tape and braces. The tapes discussed include white/cotton tape, power-tape, and elastikon. The braces discussed include lace-up ankle braces and rigid ankle braces. The research study also examines what athletes prefer between bracing and taping.

Variations in Ankle Tape

Reeves and Emel (2009) synthesized peer-reviewed studies on ankle injuries and found that many athletes are starting to prefer power-tape. They write, "Power tape has a higher tensile strength and is more water resistant than traditional white tape. However, it has the disadvantage of being harder to tear." Athletes look for stability, and elastic tape provides them the comfort they need in their heels. Reeves and Emel (2009) report, "Elastic tape may be used for the heel locks, or it may be used to reinforce the normal heel locks. This is often reported as both more comfortable for the athlete or to give the athlete a sense of more stability."

Sometimes athletes start games with minor foot injuries and demand that the injury does not worsen. An athlete who is previously injured uses "1.5-in (3.8-cm) moleskin strips for stirrups and is referred to as power-strapping" (Reeves and Emel, 2009). A number of studies have shown that athletes are now turning to flex tape and moving away from white-cotton tape, also known as pre-wrap.

Reeves and Emel (2009) note, "The most recent variation in ankle taping is to replace pre-wrap white-cotton tape with 'flex' tape. This tape is more durable than pre-wrap and resembles elastic tape, but flex tape is adherent only to itself and not to skin. In some training rooms, this type of tape is being incorporated more and more into the ankle application with less use of white athletic tape." This evolution reflects ongoing efforts to improve both comfort and durability for athletes across different sports and activity levels.

Variations in Ankle Bracing

A number of studies have shown that ankle bracing offers more advantages than traditional ankle taping. In fact, braces are considered to be a modified form of taping. Reeves and Emel (2009) report that "the concept of ankle bracing evolved from ankle taping. Braces are being used instead of traditional taping by many athletes at all levels of competition. They offer several advantages in that they are self-applied, reusable, and readjustable." When thinking long term, bracing is considered to be more cost-saving and productive than taping (Pedowitz et al., 2008; Ivins, 2006).

Braces generally come in two types: non-rigid and semi-rigid. Both have different purposes and benefits. The most commonly used types are non-rigid and semi-rigid. With regards to non-rigid ankle bracing, Reeves and Emel (2009) write that it "resembles a thick canvas or nylon lace-up sock. Some non-rigid braces are also made of neoprene. The non-rigid style imparts some compression to the ankle and may help in injury prophylaxis but provides little medial or lateral stability to the ankle."

With regards to semi-rigid bracing, Reeves and Emel (2009) assert, "Its construction is similar to the non-rigid but with the added feature of molded plastic struts or air cushions. These are incorporated into the medial and lateral sides of the brace, similar in orientation to the stirrups used in ankle taping. These braces provide more stability and are often chosen during the rehabilitation and return-to-play phases of ankle injury." The evolution from taping to bracing reflects advances in athletic medicine aimed at providing superior support while reducing repeated treatment costs.

Conclusion

This paper provided an in-depth analysis of the differences between ankle taping and ankle bracing and player satisfaction between the two. It presented information about different types of tapes and braces, including white/cotton tape, power-tape, elastikon, lace-up ankle braces, and rigid ankle braces. The findings indicate that both taping and bracing are roughly equal in terms of effectiveness for preventing ankle injuries. However, ankle taping is far more expensive than ankle bracing over time. Furthermore, when treating ankles with braces, semi-rigid bracing has been shown to be more popular and effective than non-rigid bracing, making it a more practical choice for athletes seeking long-term injury prevention at reduced cost.