http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1941581

Hi, Great job , Tx…

Happy reading!

Midterm effects of ankle joint supports on sensomotor and sport specific capabilities (Jerosch et al, 2000)

The prevention of ankle sprains in sports: A systematic Rewview of Litterature (Thacker et al, 1999) ***excellent article

Functional Instability following a lateral ankle sprain (Hertel et al, 2000)

Prophylactic ankle taping and bracing: A Numbers-Needed-to-Treat and Cost-Benefit Analysis (Olmstead et al, 2004) ***great read

Predictive factors for lateral ankle sprains: A litterature review (Beynnon et al, 2002)

Braces and splints for musculoskeletal conditions (Gravell et al, 2007)

The effect of ankle bracing on athletic performance (Bot et al, 1999)

The effect of a proprioceptive balance board training program for the prevention of ankle sprains (Verhagen et al, 2004)

The effect of preventitative measures on the incidence of ankle sprains (Verhagen et al, 2000)

Prophylactic ankle bracing reduces rearfoot motion during sudden inversion (Cordova et al, 2007)

Intrinsic predictors of lateral ankle sprain in adolescent dancers: A prospective cohert study (Hiller et al, 2008)

Lower re-injury rate with a coach-controlled rehabilitation program in amateur male soccer: A randomized controlled trial (Hagglund et al, 2007)

Great to get your point of view. It definitely is an interesting debate, and its good to hear both sides of it. I’d be interested to read the articles you refer to relating to bracing decreasing ankle strength and proprioception.

Cheers.

I am a physiotherapy student, in my final year of study, and I work as a therapist for my university’s volleyball team.

One can argue both sides of this debate, and there are numerous articles to support both sides.

So here is my two cents.

Ankle braces are great… for some. A player who has never had an ankle injury and does not present with ankle instability should NOT wear ankle braces as a preventative measure. Contrary to prior posts, they can weaken your ankle and decrease your ankle’s proprioception.

Ankle braces should be worn post-injury. They provide temporary stability to the ankle and also serve as a reminder to yourself, and to the ankle that there is an injury present. It protects the ligaments from over-stretching while they are trying to repair — ligaments are poorly vascularized and therefore take a lot of time to repair… if at all, depending on the severity of the injury.

There are many studies that state that ankle taping is more efficient than bracing for a variety of reasons. I agree, however it is more time-consuming and costly than bracing, especially long-term.

Another argument is the time post-injury a brace should be worn. This depends on several factors and should be determined on an individual basis. Some studies indicate up to a year post-injury. Personally, for high level athletes, I constantly re-evaluate the ankle for pain and instability. Once I can no longer reproduce pain and I am satisfied with the ankle’s stability, I leave the brace on a little longer and begin to wean the player off the brace.

However, an athlete who has chronic ankle instability or a history of multiple ankle traumas (ie. 3+ ankle sprains) I would recommend the use of ankle braces at all times.

I do support the comments above about ankle bracing affecting the knee. I have read numerous articles on this subject and have witnessed it myself. However, it usually applies to an athlete with a pre-existing knee instability, weakness or previous injury.

I’ll end off with this advice. Give your ankle time to rest!!! The ligament fibers need time to repair and realign themselves. Premature return to play with weaken the newly formed fibers and will set you back or cause a permanent instability.

A rehabilitation program is key. Make sure to include ankle proprioception exercices to improve the ankle’s stability and overall balance.

I’m sure there will be many who disagree with my post — take it or leave it, that’s all I can say.

There is some logic to thinking wearing ankle braces can lead to knee problems. Decreased range in the ankle means that when landing, the force must be absorbed at other joints, such as the knee. In a sport like volleyball, this problem is amplified by the amount of jumps we do.

Whilst decreased ankle range is a problem, bracing doesn’t limit plantar flexion and dorsiflexion (pointing foot up and down) that much. So I don’t think bracing will translate to knee problems.

A large percentage of volleyball players out there have knee problems, and there are many things that can be done to prevent knee problems. Perhaps this is better tackled with another post.

Good luck Holly.