Taping ankles for support while packing heavy?

[A-bros archery]

Do any of you ever tape your ankles for extra support if you know you will be carrying heavy loads over difficult terrain. A thletes use sports tape to help prevent injuries but I've never heard of hunters doing it. I will be carrying leuko tape on me anyway. What taping pattern would you use.

 

[307]

Use a lace up brace instead if your ankles and legs are that weak. They support better and will be far easier to deal with.

Taping an ankle with leukotape would be a bad idea, don't do it.

Taping is a skill that takes time and reps to master. Most people will create far more problems than they solve trying to do this without knowledge/training.

 

[bsnedeker]

Never tried it myself, but might after this last weekend. I was hiking down a really steep grade that was mostly loose gravel mixed with large rocks...feet kept slipping. After a while of this I slightly tweaked my lower ankle/top-of-foot area which bothered me for the rest of the weekend. Not sure taping would have prevented it, but I'm looking into it.

 

[A-bros archery]

Use a lace up brace instead if your ankles and legs are that weak. They support better and will be far easier to deal with.

Taping an ankle with leukotape would be a bad idea, don't do it.

Taping is a skill that takes time and reps to master. Most people will create far more problems than they solve trying to do this without knowledge/training.

Thanks for the insight. I don't know much about it so that's why I ask. I fully expect my feet to hold up but it is in that moment when a rock rolls or something and suddenly you end up with a sprained ankle. It seems to me that in that scenario some tape just might help. Why would you not use leuko tape specifically?

 

[BDLutz]

Wouldn't be a bad idea if you have a history or rolling your ankles, and dependingon the qualityof your foot wear. I have taped them up before after a sporting injury, and it helps when hunting in the backcountry when wearing hiking boots. If you have good quality boots with good support, it makes a difference when hauling out weight for miles.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Poser]

In order to be effective, you’d have to tape them so tight that it would have to be removed and reapplied on a daily basis at a minimum. Realistically, not sure you could even keep the tape on all day if it’s tight enough to offer any support. You would also need a lot of tape and probably experiment with taping methods. Also, the bulk of the amount of tape required to be effective would likely interfere with wearing boots. In fact, why not just wear supportive boots instead?

Anyway, I’m going to say that it’s impractical on all fronts.

 

[Okhotnik]

buy a stability board and stand in the center with one leg. Will probably have to start out holding something for balance. Do 25 reps clockwise touching the outer circle as you do a full 360 degree rotation then do 25 reps counter clockwise. Work up to 3 sets.

Great for ankle and some knee mobility and strength and balance. Obviously hiking poles help a great deal when side hilling, stepping over dead falls, walking on loose rock etc too when packing weight

Amazon.com : AmazonBasics Wood Wobble Balance Board - 16.2 x 16.2 x 3.6 Inches, Blue : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : AmazonBasics Wood Wobble Balance Board - 16.2 x 16.2 x 3.6 Inches, Blue : Sports & Outdoors

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[A-bros archery]

Thanks for all the advice! To be clear I was asking about using tape only for a heavy pack out - not for daily use. I was just thinking of how athletes sometimes tape an ankle in a simple X pattern or similar. I guess the slow but heavy pressure from a pack out is different from the quick movements of sports. I certainly wouldn't want to wrap a big wad of tape around my ankle all day every day! And yes, I've heard about the wonders of trekking poles so I have those.

 

[huntineveryday]

The standard athletic tape starts to stretch and lose support fairly quick, and as noted above, the bulk of the typical athletic ankle tape job would be enough it would interfere with boot fit a lot.

Leukotape doesn't stretch and sticks well enough that you could probably get some extra support with just a couple heel locks on each side of the ankle. I take enough leukotape on hiking trips to do just that in case I were to sprain an ankle and need more support while on a trip. I am used to taping ankles, however, and have taped my own before when needed. The biggest risk is that the tape going across the back of the Achilles for heel locks can cause a pretty nasty blister if the angle and tension are off. That could end up causing more damage than it would help.

I would rely on your boots for support, strengthen the ankles with balance and agility exercises in the months before the trip if you are worried about it. If you do take some leukotape, I'd make sure to practice some heel locks prior to the trip to get the angles right and make sure it feels alright.

 

[5MilesBack]

Why would you not use leuko tape specifically?

Just getting it off the roll while taping would be a problem. I used to tape both ankles for years of basketball, and I'd use a roll and a half for both ankles. Leukotape is expensive stuff.......wouldn't want to use that. But if you do go the taping route, make sure you use pre-wrap as well under the tape. I've never taped my ankles in 35+ years of elk hunting.