Role of ankle taping and bracing in the athlete.

Adhesive tape is often used to help athletes recover from ligament sprains of the ankle or to prevent further injury. The choice of taping technique or material is often decided by personal preference, superstition, or anecdote. More recently, the use of ankle braces has become more prevalent, but reasons for their use are similarly variable. As ankle sprains are a major cause of an athlete's disability and time off sport, the choice of the method of support should be more scientifically reasoned. This paper attempts to review the literature concerning the effects of various methods of ankle support on swelling, stability, range of movement, proprioception, muscle function, gait, and performance tests. There is still some contradiction in the literature about the effects of taping and braces in both the acute and chronic phases of ligament sprains of the ankle.