As the player progresses and pain in the ankle diminishes, he or she could start running in chest deep water in a swimming pool. Further progression could find the athlete running in waist or even thigh deep water as weight bearing tolerance increases. Progression to full unassisted weight bearing is a sign that the athlete is probably ready to start a limited number of sport specific activities that do not cause pain. For example, a football player can often participate in drills with limited stress on the ankle. As the player progresses, start more football specific drills and activities.
Lineman can work on exploding out from their stance, while receivers can work on cutting drills.
Ankle bracing vs taping Ankle taping used to be a standard practice following any ankle injury. However, brace technology has progressed significantly in the last several years and offers a safe, cost effective alternative to ankle taping. Semi-rigid orthoses combine hard plastic with a liner and can be used both as a light ankle immobilizer and as brace when the athlete initially returns to sports. Lace up braces do not offer the same level of support as the semi-rigid orthosis but are less costly and easier to fit in an athletic shoe. In addition, research has shown lace up braces offer the same if not more support than ankle taping while costing significantly less money over the course of an athletic season.