Introduction: High incidence of ankle sprains among athletes and it's long rehabilitation are one of the main purposes of using ankle orthoses and taping. Ankle orthoses and taping is used as a prevention of ankle sprains among recreational and professional athletes. Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the use of ankle orthoses and taping as a prevention of ankle sprains. To evaluate the influence of ankle orthoses and taping on incidence of ankle sprains. To evaluate the influence of ankle taping and orthoses on limited ankle movement and their effect on physical performance of athletes. Methods: Thesis is a literature review, written with use of descriptive method. The search of the studies was in two languages, Slovenian and English. Literature review includes 9 studies. Results: The results are divided by the impact of orthoses and adhesive tape on the incidence of ankle sprain (4 surveys), by limiting the extent of movement (2 surveys) and the impact of external support on physical performance of athletes (3 surveys). Orthoses and ankle taping have impact on reducing the incidence of ankle sprains, in which orthoses make a significant reduction of the incidence compared to ankle taping. After half of sport activity tapes lose most of their restrictive ability, while orthoses lose just some of it. Ankle braces and taping do not affect functional performance of athletes. Discussion and conclusion: Ankle braces are an effective alternative use of taping. They as well as tapes limit the movement of the joint, reduce the incidence of ankle sprains, do not affect the functional performance in athletes, are more affordable compared to adhesive tapes and do not require a skilled worker for its application.
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