Comparison of Support Provided by Ankle Taping and Semirigid Orthosis

Michael T. Gross, Marcy K. Bradshaw, Laurie C. Ventry, Karen H. Weller

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of ankle taping and a semirigid orthosis in providing ankle support before and after exercise. Twenty-two ankles were treated with ankle taping (treatment I) and a semirigid orthoses (treatment 11). Passive ankle inversion-eversion was measured on a Cybex IP prior to application of the treatment, following application of the treatment, and following a brief period of exercise. A two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey analyses indicated that post-application and post-exercise ankle motion was significantly less than preapplication motion for both treatment groups. However, inversion motion postexercise was significantly greater than pre-exercise motion for the taping condition, and the semirigid orthosis limited ankle motion significantly more than the taping treatment following exercise. The results suggest that a semirigid orthosis similar to the one tested in this study may be more effective in preventing ankle sprain njuries than athletic tape

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1987;9(1):33-39.

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