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How to Tape a Foot for Arch Support

How to Tape a Foot for Arch Support

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If you are planning a hike in the woods or a long run and would like to avoid pain in your arches the next day, it is a good idea to wrap your foot to avoid injury on your hike or run. Taping your feet to support your arches will prevent further injury and is a good idea to practice every time you go on a hike or run if you have suffered from foot and arch injuries in the past.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:
  • Razor Shaving cream Skin toughener like Tuf-Skin 1-inch medical tape 1 1/2-inch medical tape Sock Shoe
  • Razor
  • Shaving cream
  • Skin toughener like Tuf-Skin
  • 1-inch medical tape
  • 1 1/2-inch medical tape
  • Sock
  • Shoe
Step 1
Shave the top of your foot if necessary. Using a razor and shaving cream, shave your foot to remove any hair that may cause you pain while walking from pulling against the tape, and any pain upon removal of the tape when your hike is finished.
Step 2
Spray your foot with skin toughener, like Tuf-Skin, which can be purchased at a local drugstore or sports store. Let your foot dry for approximately 10 minutes.
Step 3
Wrap 1 1/2-inch medical tape around the balls of your foot, stretching across the top of your foot, right under your toes. Tape firmly, but not tight enough to crush your foot.
Step 4
Wrap 1-inch medical tape around the outline of your foot, starting at the outside of the big toe, stretching around to the Achilles tendon, and back around to the outside of the pinkie toe. Using the 1-inch tape, start at the ball of the foot just under the big toe, criss-cross across the arch of the foot to the opposite side of the heel. Then loop around the Achilles tendon and back around to the opposite ball, just under the pinkie toe, then over the top of the foot just below the toes and back to the starting point.
Step 5
Repeat Step 4 until the arch feels supported and sturdy--approximately two or three times.
Step 6
Use 1 1/2-inch tape to wrap around and across the foot starting at the ball of the foot where the tape was originally placed. Wrap around the ankle with 1 1/2-inch tape, then wrap back around the ball of the foot and the arch to secure.
Step 7
Place your sock and shoe on normally over your wrapped foot.

Tips & Warnings

 
You may also wrap with a bandage for arch support.
 
Do not wrap your foot if it is already injured. See a doctor.

Resources

Article Written By Megan Smith

Megan Smith has been a freelance writer and editor since 2006. She writes about health, fitness, travel, beauty and grooming topics for various print and Internet publications. Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in writing from New York University.

Write for Trails.com

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