SportsAssessing and taping an ankle sprain
Athletic trainers assess an ankle sprain with the history, palpation, range of motion and special tests, and protect it with the closed basketweave. This guide follows the NATA position statement on ankle sprains, the Ottawa Ankle Rules and the BOC exam.
Free to startAssess the sprain
Ask how it happened and about past injuries, then check active, passive and resisted range of motion. The anterior drawer and inversion talar tilt test the lateral ligaments and are more accurate before swelling builds up, or 5 days after the injury rather than 2.
Does it need an X-ray?
The Ottawa Ankle Rules say yes if there is pain or bone tenderness at the posterior edge or tip of either malleolus, or if the athlete cannot bear weight both right after the injury and for four steps at the exam.
Tape and return to play
The closed basketweave goes anchors, stirrups and horseshoes, then figure 8s, heel locks and closeouts, with little underwrap and no tension over the fifth metatarsal. Grades I and II get functional rehabilitation, and return to play uses functional tests and the athlete's own view. Practice it free with Blocky.
Official sources
How to assess and treat the sprain
The NATA position statement on ankle sprains gives 31 recommendations for athletic trainers: assessment, acute care, rehabilitation, return to play and prevention.
When the ankle needs an X-ray
A meta-analysis of 15 studies and 8,560 patients found a pooled sensitivity of 0.91 for ruling out ankle fractures.
The closed basketweave, strip by strip
The University of West Alabama taping technique describes every strip; an Indiana University study measured what each component does.
The athletic trainer exam
The BOC candidate process and the BOC Exam 101: a CAATE-accredited program and a 175-item, 4-hour computer exam.
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