Braces have become commonplace in sports. Due to the extreme body and joint torque that occurs in nearly all major competitive sports, braces have been prescribed to help heal injuries, and in some cases help prevent them. In fact, in an extremely physically intense sport like football, there are times where more players on the field are wearing braces than not.
Function
The size and sturdiness of braces can vary depending on which joint or body part the brace is designed for, but the basic function remains the same. Braces in sports are used to either stabilize a recently injured muscle or joint during intense activity, or to prevent injury from happening to a joint for an athlete who is constantly in danger of becoming injured. For example, some offensive linemen in professional football wear a knee brace on both knees as a precaution, even if they have never suffered a knee injury.
Types
The most common braces found in sports cover the following body parts: knee, ankle, back, wrist, shoulder and elbow. Some braces are simple elastic sleeves or bands meant to give only the slightest support to a pulled or strained muscle, whereas other braces can be several feet in length and designed to provide maximum stability to a joint or limb after a major operation.
Considerations
The benefits of braces have been widely debated as it relates to effectiveness. Major injuries to joints typically occur when the joint is traumatically torqued in an unnatural direction in a split second. Because of the complexity of human joints, and without risking the health of test subjects, tests have been unable to consistently prove whether braces actually prevent injury from occurring. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported in 2002, however, that "functional braces may help prevent further injury to a previously injured knee."
Misconceptions
One common misconception is that a brace is only worn in the case of injury recovery. Many professional athletes wear large protective braces that limit the movement of a specific joint or joints in hopes that it will help prevent them from becoming seriously injured. Another misconception is that braces are always severely limiting in mobility. Braces come in many shapes and sizes, and in fact a very small percentage of them actually limit the natural range of motion of a joint.
Warning
If you are currently wearing a brace as part of rehabilitation of a recent injury, it's important to understand the risks of returning to the field before you fully recover. A weak or damaged joint can be re-injured much easier than a full strength joint. Another potential risk is a compensation injury, meaning that if you tore a ligament in your ankle and you are wearing a brace out on the field to help prevent further injury, your ankle will now be weaker and limited in motion. This can lead to muscle overuse, resulting in strains or tears in other muscles that are compensating for a weakness in another area of your body.
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