The effect of exercise, prewrap, and athletic tape on the maximal active and passive ankle resistance of ankle inversion.

This investigation explored alternatives to the null hypotheses that maximal active and passive resistance to inversion developed by a near-maximally inverted and weightbearing ankle is not altered by 1) the use of prophylactic adhesive athletic tape, 2) the use of non-adhesive prewrap (underwrap), or 3) 40 minutes of vigorous exercise. Ten healthy men and 10 healthy women (mean age, 25 +/- 3 years) with no recent ankle injuries underwent testing to determine maximal ankle resistance to inversion under unipedal, weightbearing conditions. Tests were performed with and without the support of athletic tape, and before and after 40 minutes of exercise. Half the testing sessions were performed with prewrap under the tape. At 15 degrees of inversion, without any external ankle support, healthy young men and women could maximally resist a mean (SD) inversion moment of 52.9 (6.4) N-m and 28.3 (5.8) N-m, respectively. Although use of ankle tape provided a 10% increase in maximal resistance to inversion moments, this increase diminished to insignificant levels after 40 minutes of vigorous exercise. Use of prewrap improved maximal resistance to inversion by more than 10%.