Thursday, February 5, 2009

Ankle Braces Reduce Risk of Ankle Injuries by 3 Times


The Efficacy of a Semirigid Ankle Stabilizer to Reduce Acute Ankle Injuries in Basketball
Source:
Sitler M, Ryan J, Wheeler B, et al: Am J Sports Med 22(4): 454-461, 1994
Summary:
"This randomized clinical study was designed to prospectively determine the efficacy of a semirigid ankle stabilizer in reducing the frequency and severity of acute ankle injuries in basketball." The results indicate that the "use of ankle stabilizers [Sport-Stirrup] significantly reduced the frequency of ankle injuries… Non-braced players had three times the risk of the control players for sustaining an ankle injury." The data also showed that "wearing the ankle stabilizer did not affect the frequency of knee injuries, [and the] attitude toward ankle stabilizer use improved as use of the stabilizer increased."