How to Strap a Sprained Ankle, and When You Should Not

Just done your ankle? Work through the first section before you reach for the tape. Strapping is right for a lot of ankles and wrong for some, and the check takes thirty seconds.

The short answer

To strap a sprained ankle, hold the foot at 90 degrees to the shin, then apply an anchor strip around the lower leg just above the ankle joint, three stirrups running under the foot from the inside anchor to the outside, three figure 6s from each side, one or two figure-eights, and heel locks from both sides. Close any gaps in the tape, then check that your toes still have normal colour, warmth, feeling and movement before you stand up.

At a glance

What you are doing	Taping to limit the end-range movement that hurts, while leaving normal movement
Difficulty	Moderate. The 6s and heel locks take practice
Can you do it yourself?	Yes, with the foot on a step so you can reach the heel
You will need	Rigid zinc oxide tape or an elastic adhesive bandage, scissors, optionally underwrap and pre-tape spray
Stop and get assessed instead if	You cannot take weight, the ankle looks deformed, or you have numbness

Should you strap this ankle at all?

Taping an ankle that needs an X-ray does not make it safer, it delays the assessment. Check the left column first.

Get it assessed first, or reasonable to strap and self-manage

Get it assessed before you tape it	Reasonable to strap and self-manage
You cannot take any weight, or cannot take four steps	You can walk on it, sore and limping
The ankle looks deformed next to the other one	Swollen and bruised, but normal in shape
Tender on the bone at the inner ankle knob, the back edge of the outer knob, the bony bump on the outside of the midfoot, or the bone inside the arch	Tender over soft tissue below the outer knob, not on bone
Numbness, or the foot feels dead or cold	Sore, but sensation is normal
Hot, red and swollen, with a fever	No fever, no spreading redness
Bruising spreading well beyond the ankle	Bruising limited to the ankle, settling over days
Pain or swelling not improving, or getting worse	Slowly improving day by day
You keep rolling this ankle, or it gives way	A one-off, on a reliable ankle

Better Health Channel is explicit: if you are unable to take any weight on the foot, or unable to take four steps, seek medical attention immediately. healthdirect adds three reasons to see a doctor: you cannot put weight on it, it looks deformed, or pain and swelling are not improving. Go straight in for a suspected fracture or dislocation, or a hot, red, painful ankle with a fever.

The bone tenderness points in the table are what clinicians use to decide on imaging. A 2022 open-access meta-analysis in adults put the pooled sensitivity of that rule at 0.91 for ruling out fracture, used alongside clinical judgement, not instead of it.

If anything in the left column applies, stop and get it assessed before you tape it. In an emergency call 000. At any hour you can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222, known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria and staffed by a registered nurse.

What taping does, and what it does not do

What it does. Strapping supports the ligaments while they heal and limits the end-range movement that reinjures them. The compression can settle pain enough to let you move.

What the evidence supports. The strongest case is in people who have already sprained that ankle: a 2019 review in the Journal of Athletic Training reports odds ratios of 0.31 for bracing and 0.29 for taping in previously injured athletes. Evidence for preventing a first sprain is thinner.

What it does not do. Tape does not heal a ligament or make an unstable ankle stable. Perrin’s Athletic Taping and Bracing is blunt: the effectiveness of traditional athletic tape tends to decrease during physical activity (p. 8), and much of the benefit that remains is attributed to the sensory feedback it gives you rather than to it stopping the joint (pp. 4-5). Tape should not substitute for exercise, and routine taping without strength and balance work is substandard care (p. 5).

Two taping jobs, not one

Taping texts describe two related ankle procedures for two situations. Almost no page online says so.

The closed basketweave (Perrin, pp. 24-27) is the full-coverage technique, applied “to prevent or protect inversion sprains” (p. 25). It is the procedure below, and Align’s method.

The open basketweave (pp. 30-31) is the acute version. It “supports and compresses the acutely injured ankle”, deliberately leaves the top of the foot uncovered so a swelling foot is not constricted, and is finished with an elastic wrap removed for icing and for sleep. Remove the securing strips if the ankle starts to ache from swelling (p. 31).

Why that matters: “sprained ankle” covers both a fresh, swelling injury and an ankle you are supporting a week later. If yours is swelling now, that is the case the open technique exists for, and a reason to have it looked at.

Tape, bandage or brace

Comparing the four common ways to support a sprained ankle

Option	Support	Reusable	Skin tolerance	Cost pattern	Best used for
Rigid zinc oxide tape	Most restrictive	No	Lowest, adhesive on skin	Repeats every application	Moderate to severe sprains
Elastic adhesive bandage	Moderate, some give	No	Moderate	Repeats every application	Mild sprains, return to sport
Kinesiology tape	Least restrictive	No, but longer wear	Good, for extended wear	Higher per roll	An adjunct, not a primary support
Lace-up brace	Consistent, no reapplication	Yes	Highest, nothing adhesive	Higher once, then nothing	Ongoing support and chronic instability

Depending on severity you may need an ankle brace for 4 to 6 weeks, and repeated taping costs more than a brace long term (Journal of Athletic Training, 2019).

How to strap a sprained ankle, step by step

Skin clean and dry, pre-tape spray if you have it. Hold the foot at 90 degrees to the shin and keep it there, the position Perrin specifies (pp. 25 and 27). An ankle that sags gets taped in a position it will not hold. Work upwards from the foot, overlap each strip by half the tape width, and tear each strip off rather than unwinding the roll around the leg (p. 14).

1. Apply the anchor strip

   Wrap the tape in a circle around your lower leg, just above your ankle joint. This is the base everything else attaches to: flat all the way round, firm, no tension pulled into it. An over-tight anchor is why a foot goes numb later.

   Perrin adds a second, optional anchor around the foot, warning that foot anchors “frequently cause constriction and discomfort” and that applying one too tightly is “the most frequent error with this taping procedure” (p. 25).

   

2. Add the stirrups

   From the anchor on the inside of your leg, bring the tape under your foot and up the other side in a U, finishing on the outside anchor. Repeat three times, each strip overlapping the last by about half the tape width. The mistake is letting it wander forwards or backwards instead of running straight across.

   

3. Add the 6s and reverse 6s

   Start at the inner anchor and tape diagonally across the front of your ankle, then under your foot, returning to the starting point. Repeat from the outer anchor, three each side for maximum stability. Doing the 6s from one side only pulls the ankle one way.

   

4. Apply the figure-eight

   Wrap the tape gently around the ankle in a figure-eight, following the curve of the foot rather than bridging the hollows, once or twice depending on how much stability you want. Too much tension here is the usual error.

   

5. Secure with heel locks

   Wrap tape around your heel from both sides. Perrin specifies the directions: the lateral heel lock, on the outside, is pulled upward, the medial one downward (p. 26). A heel lock from one side alone leaves the ankle free to roll the other way, which is usually the direction that caused the injury.

   

6. Close any gaps

   Look over the whole strapping. No exposed skin between layers. Those gaps are called windows. Close any you find with a short strip. They are where swelling collects and the tape starts to peel.

   

Check your work before you stand up

Circulation. Compare your toenails with the other foot. Perrin’s rule: a dark blue appearance in a nail bed indicates impaired circulation (p. 7). Colour, warmth, feeling and movement should all be normal. Pale, blue, cold or numb toes mean the tape is too tight. Take it off and start again looser.

Comfort. Supportive, not painful. Sharp pain, a burning line where a strip has folded, or building throbbing all mean it needs redoing.

Movement. Stand up. The strapping should stop the ankle rolling inwards at end range while still letting you walk heel to toe normally. If it does not, the stirrups and 6s need more support. If you cannot walk normally, it is too restrictive.

When it goes wrong

Common strapping problems and what to do about them

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
Toes go numb, tingle or change colour	Too tight, usually the anchor	Remove it now. Reapply looser
The tape rolls into a cord at the edges	A strip laid under tension across a curve	Lay it along the shape of the foot, or use two shorter pieces
It peels off within the hour	Damp or oily skin, or open windows	Dry the foot, use pre-tape spray, close the gaps
Tape lifts at the heel	Heel lock laid flat, not angled into the heel	Redo step 5, upward outside and downward inside
Blister or raw patch under the tape	A window left open, or shear over a bony point	Remove it. Do not re-tape over broken skin
Red, itchy or weeping skin after removal	Adhesive reaction. healthdirect lists glues and rubber among contact dermatitis triggers	Switch to hypoallergenic tape with underwrap, or a brace. See a doctor if the rash is widespread or painful (healthdirect)
It loosens partway through a game	Sweat and movement	Expected. Tape loses effectiveness during activity (Perrin, p. 8), so consider a brace
It got wet in the rain	Non water-resistant tape	Replace it once you are off the field
You have tried twice and it still feels wrong	Technique. This is fiddly on your own ankle	Have a physio strap it once while you watch, then copy it

How long to keep it on

For 7 to 10 days after the injury, keep the ankle strapped during activity. Avoid continuous wear, which affects circulation and skin health. If swelling persists or pain worsens, take the tape off. Long-term strapping may weaken the ankle, so reduce it as strength improves.

Two different questions get confused here:

• The acute strapping window: 7 to 10 days after the injury, during activity. That is Align’s guidance above.
• Support for sport after a significant sprain: Sports Medicine Australia advises bracing or protective taping for sport for a minimum of 6 to 12 months post-injury after a Grade 2 or 3 ligament injury. That is match-day support, not continuous wear.

Taking the tape off

Cut the tape with blunt-tipped surgical scissors or a tape cutter rather than unwinding it, along a line where there is least bone underneath and the tissue gives most (Perrin, pp. 16-17). Then pull it back slowly and gently while the skin is compressed: one hand holds the skin down, the other peels back against it, low and flat rather than straight up. Skin over a fresh sprain is stretched, and that is when tears happen.

Then check the skin. Redness that fades in minutes is normal. Blistering or broken skin is not.

What gets the ankle better, and when to see a physio

Tape is the scaffolding, not the repair. For the first 48 to 72 hours, Sports Medicine Australia recommends RICER and avoiding HARM: no heat, alcohol, running or massage. Better Health Channel says the same: rest it, ice packs every 2 hours for 15 minutes, and raise the ankle above heart height.

Then start moving it. Better Health Channel notes an exercise program in the first week improves ankle function and early return to weight-bearing. Sports Medicine Australia lists previous injury, poor balance and lack of strength among its proven risk factors, and lack of external ankle support among its suspected ones.

Book in if the ankle is not steadily improving, if it gives way, if you are still taping past the first fortnight, or if you have rolled it before. Sports Medicine Australia advises that a sports medicine professional be consulted as soon as possible. If it keeps rolling, a biomechanical assessment and a look at your footwear will do more than another roll of tape.

Align Health Collective has physiotherapists in Melbourne at Kew and Oakleigh, Brisbane at Indooroopilly and South Brisbane, and Sydney at Redfern. We can strap it and show you the technique on your own leg.

Frequently asked questions

Should I strap my ankle before I know whether it is broken?

No. Work through the triage section first. Taping an ankle that needs an X-ray delays the diagnosis without making it safer. If you cannot take four steps, if it looks deformed, or if it is tender on the bone at the points above, get it assessed.

Can you walk on a sprained ankle?

It depends on the severity. Mild sprains may allow limited walking with discomfort. With a moderate to severe sprain, rest it and use crutches if walking is painful or the ankle feels unstable. Being unable to take four steps is a reason to seek medical attention.

How long does it take for a sprained ankle to heal?

Grade 1, 1 to 2 weeks. Grade 2, 3 to 6 weeks. Grade 3, 8 to 12 weeks or longer. healthdirect notes some people still feel discomfort up to 12 months later.

How tight should ankle strapping be?

Firm enough to limit excessive movement, never tight enough to restrict circulation. Compare your toes with the other foot before you stand up. A dark blue nail bed means circulation is impaired.

Is kinesiology tape as good as rigid tape for a sprained ankle?

They do different jobs. Rigid zinc oxide tape restricts movement and gives the most support. A 2025 open-access systematic review found kinesiology tape gives limited benefit in acute ankle sprain, particularly for long-term function and swelling, and is an adjunct rather than a primary treatment (Bocchino et al., 2025).

Can I strap my own ankle, or do I need someone to help?

You can do it yourself. It is easier with a second pair of hands, and easier still after a physio has done it once while you watch. The awkward part is holding the foot at 90 degrees while both hands are busy.

Does taping stop me spraining the ankle again?

It reduces the risk rather than removing it, and the effect is best established in people who have already sprained that ankle. The 2019 Journal of Athletic Training review reports odds ratios of 0.29 for taping and 0.31 for bracing. Tape plus strength and balance work beats tape alone.

About this article

Written by the physiotherapy team at Align Health Collective.

Published 9 March 2025 · Last updated 8 August 2026

General information only, not a substitute for an assessment. If anything in the triage section applies to you, see a health professional. In an emergency, call 000.

References

1. Better Health Channel. Ankle sprains.
2. healthdirect. Sprained ankle.
3. healthdirect. Ankle pain.
4. healthdirect. Sprains and strains.
5. healthdirect. Contact dermatitis.
6. Sports Medicine Australia. Ankle Injury fact sheet.
7. Gomes YE, et al. Ottawa ankle rule in adults. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2022.
8. Kaminski TW, et al. Prevention of Lateral Ankle Sprains. Journal of Athletic Training, 2019.
9. Bocchino A, et al. Kinesio Tape on Acute Ankle Sprain. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025.
10. Perrin DH. Athletic Taping and Bracing, 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2012. Ankle taping pp. 24-32; general technique and removal pp. 4-17.

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