Taping a sprained ankle limits the side-to-side rolling that caused the injury in the first place, giving damaged ligaments a chance to heal while you stay mobile. The most widely used method is the closed basketweave technique, which layers strips of rigid athletic tape in an alternating pattern to create a sturdy, semi-rigid shell around the joint. Below is everything you need to do it correctly, from gathering supplies to locking the heel in place.
Why Taping Works for Ankle Sprains
About 65 to 73 percent of ankle sprains damage the ligament on the outside front of the ankle, which is the thinnest and most vulnerable of the three lateral ligaments. Another 20 to 40 percent involve that ligament plus the one just below it, which runs along the outer heel. Both of these ligaments prevent the ankle from rolling inward, so when they’re stretched or torn, the joint feels loose and untrustworthy.
Rigid athletic tape physically blocks that inward roll. A year-long study comparing tape to soft ankle braces found re-injury rates were nearly identical: 14 percent in the tape group and 17 percent in the brace group, with no meaningful statistical difference. Tape is a solid option when a brace isn’t available or when you want a more custom fit.
Know Your Sprain Grade First
Taping is appropriate for mild to moderate sprains, but not for severe ones. Here’s how the grades break down:
- Grade 1: The ligament is stretched or slightly torn. You’ll notice mild swelling and stiffness, but the ankle feels stable and you can walk with minimal pain.
- Grade 2: A partial tear with moderate swelling, bruising, and tenderness. Walking is painful, and the joint feels somewhat unstable.
- Grade 3: A complete ligament tear with severe swelling, bruising, and instability. Walking is usually impossible because the ankle gives out under load.
Taping works well for Grade 1 sprains and can support Grade 2 sprains during recovery. Grade 3 sprains typically need medical evaluation and immobilization beyond what tape provides. If you can’t put any weight on the ankle, or if pressing directly on the bony bumps on either side produces sharp pain, those are signs a fracture may be involved and an X-ray is warranted before you tape anything.
What You’ll Need
Gather these supplies before you start. Trying to tear tape or find scissors mid-application leads to a sloppy job.
- 1.5-inch rigid athletic tape: The standard width for ankle work. You’ll use roughly one full roll per ankle.
- Foam prewrap (underwrap): A thin foam layer that protects the skin from the adhesive. Most rolls are about 2.75 inches wide.
- Skin adhesive spray (optional): Helps the tape grip better, especially if you tend to sweat. A light coat on the skin before prewrap keeps everything from sliding.
- Scissors or a tape cutter: Rigid athletic tape doesn’t always tear cleanly by hand.
Positioning Your Foot
Sit on a table or high surface with your leg extended and your foot hanging off the edge. Flex your foot so it forms a right angle with your shin, roughly the same position it’s in when you’re standing. This is critical. If you tape the ankle while it’s pointed downward, the tape will be too loose when you stand and won’t limit inversion at all. Keep the foot at 90 degrees throughout the entire process.
Applying Prewrap and Anchors
Wrap the foam prewrap around your lower leg and foot in a spiral, starting a few inches above the ankle bones and continuing down to the midfoot. Overlap each pass slightly. The prewrap doesn’t need to be tight; it just creates a barrier between the adhesive and your skin.
Next, apply your anchor strips. The first anchor goes around the lower shin, positioned so that half of the tape sits on bare skin and half on the prewrap. This “half on, half off” placement keeps the anchor from sliding. Apply additional anchors working downward, each one following the same half-on, half-off rule, until you reach just above the bony bump on the outside of your ankle. These anchors are the foundation that every other strip connects to.
The Basketweave: Stirrups and Horseshoes
The basketweave is the core of the tape job. It uses two types of strips that alternate and overlap to build a rigid lattice around the ankle.
Stirrups
Start on the inside of the shin at the top anchor strip. Pull the tape straight down, pass it under the heel, and bring it up the outside of the ankle to meet the anchor on the outer shin. The tape should cup the bottom of the heel snugly. This strip prevents the ankle from rolling inward.
Horseshoes
Start on the inside of the ankle, just below the inner ankle bone. Wrap the tape around the back of the lower ankle (across the Achilles area) and finish at the outer ankle bone. This horizontal strip locks the stirrup in place and adds front-to-back support.
Building the Pattern
Alternate between stirrups and horseshoes until you have three of each. Each new stirrup should overlap the previous one by half its width, and each new horseshoe should do the same. This overlapping creates the “weave” that distributes pressure evenly and prevents gaps.
Heel Locks and Figure Eights
The basketweave alone stabilizes the ankle from side to side, but the heel can still shift. Heel locks and figure eights cinch the heel bone into place and are what separate a functional tape job from one that loosens up in ten minutes.
For the figure eight, start on the inside of the ankle, wrap around the lower leg, cross over the top of the foot diagonally, continue under the arch, and come back up to where you started. This creates an “X” pattern over the front of the ankle that resists both inward and outward motion.
For heel locks, start a strip on one side of the lower leg, angle it down and around the back of the heel, hooking under the heel bone, then bring it back up the opposite side. Do two heel locks on each side, alternating inside and outside. These strips feel noticeably snug around the heel and are the most important part of the tape job for preventing re-injury during activity.
Finish with one more figure eight, then close everything off with two or three circular strips around the lower shin and midfoot to seal down any loose edges.
How It Should Feel When You’re Done
Stand up and take a few steps. The ankle should feel noticeably restricted when you try to roll it inward, but you shouldn’t feel numbness, tingling, or throbbing. Your toes should stay their normal color. If they start turning pale, blue, or feel cold, the tape is too tight and needs to come off immediately.
A good tape job will start to loosen after about 30 to 45 minutes of activity as the tape conforms to your movement and your body heat softens the adhesive. This is normal and one of the reasons athletes in competitive settings get re-taped at halftime. For everyday use, plan on removing and reapplying once a day.
Kinesiology Tape as an Alternative
If rigid tape feels too restrictive or you want support during lighter activity, elastic kinesiology tape is another option. It stretches up to 140 percent of its resting length, which means it won’t lock the joint the way rigid tape does. Instead, it works by gently lifting the skin, which promotes fluid drainage and reduces swelling. The recoil of the tape also provides sensory feedback that helps your brain track where the ankle is in space, reducing the chance of an awkward step.
For lateral ankle support, a common approach is to apply an I-shaped strip from the inner ankle, under the foot, and up the outer ankle, mimicking the path of a stirrup. A fan-cut strip over the swollen area can help with fluid buildup. Kinesiology tape can stay on for two to three days, even through showers, making it more practical for daily life than rigid tape. It won’t provide the same level of restriction during sports, though.
Removing Tape Safely
Pulling rigid tape off quickly is a reliable way to tear skin, especially over bony areas. Instead, lift a small corner and peel slowly, pressing the skin down with your other hand as you go. Adhesive removal sprays make this significantly easier. Spray under the lifted edge as you peel, and the tape releases without pulling at the skin. If you don’t have a commercial remover, baby oil or rubbing alcohol will soften most athletic tape adhesives.
After removal, wash the area with soap and water to clear adhesive residue, and let the skin breathe for several hours before re-taping. If you notice redness, itching, or small blisters, your skin may be reacting to the adhesive. Switching to a hypoallergenic tape or using a skin barrier wipe before applying prewrap can prevent this on the next application.