Ankle Braces And Athletic Performance

Sprained ankles are a common injury for athletes. After spraining your ankle, you may find that returning to participation in sports requires stabilization of the joint to protect against additional injury. Athletes typically choose to use an ankle brace after a sprain, and athletic performance while wearing the brace can be the deciding factor on whether its use is continued.

Significance

An ankle sprains occurs when you attempt to plant your foot and the ankle twists, rolls or turns outside of its normal motions. This includes activities where a great force is transmitted upon landing, such as in basketball or volleyball. An ankle sprain causes the ligaments to stretch beyond their normal range into an abnormal position. A brace attempts to stop the stretching of ligaments by limiting the range of motion in the ankle while still allowing you to participate in your sport.

Types

A semi-rigid plastic brace style features padding on the interior and a hook-and-loop material to fasten. Designed to prevent side-to-side ankle motion, they are reusable and can be easily put on and taken off. Lace-up fabric ankle braces limit both side-to-side and up-and-down movement in the ankle. These braces are reusable as well and lace up the front. A brace can be comfortably worn inside your athletic shoe without adding bulk or making the ankle cumbersome.

Effects on Speed

In a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy in 1995, 25 football players without prior ankle injury or use of an brace completed a series of tests. During the test, players were asked to perform a vertical jump, a 40-yard dash and a 20-yard shuttle run under three different ankle treatments: non-braced, with an Aircast Sport Stirrup and with a DonJoy RocketSoc. Results of the test indicated that the two braces when compared with the non-braced ankle had no effect on jumping or sprint abilities.

Effects on Agility

The Journal of Athletic Training published a 1994 study by three athletic trainers of the effects of a brace on agility and speed. In the study, 85 high school athletes were asked to perform an agility course that involved forward and backward running, lateral shuffling and direction changes without a brace. They repeated the course while wearing a Swede-O brace, the Aircast Training brace, the Aircast Sports-Stirrup and the DonJoy Ankle Ligament Protector. The results showed there was no significant difference in times between unbraced and braced ankles, with only 9/10 of a second being added to the time to complete the course in a brace.