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Q: Should athletes wear ankle braces to prevent sprains?

A: Yes, wearing ankle braces, particularly soft, lace-up ones, can be an effective way to prevent ankle sprains, especially in high-risk sports like basketball. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) examined the effectiveness of lace-up ankle braces in preventing ankle sprains among high school basketball players. The study involved 1,460 athletes during the 2009-2010 season, who were randomly assigned to either wear a brace or not.

Here’s what the study found:

  1. Reduction in Ankle Sprains: The athletes who wore the lace-up ankle braces experienced fewer ankle sprains compared to those who did not wear braces. This suggests that braces provide significant protection against such injuries during activities that involve frequent stops, starts, turns, and cutting movements, all of which are common in basketball.
  2. No Impact on Injury Severity: While the braces reduced the number of ankle sprains, they did not decrease the severity of the injuries that did occur. This means that if an athlete sprained their ankle while wearing a brace, the injury was just as severe as it might have been without a brace.
  3. No Reduction in Knee Injuries: The study also looked at other lower extremity injuries, including knee injuries. The results showed that wearing ankle braces did not reduce the occurrence of knee injuries.
  4. Effectiveness Across Different Athletes: The protective effect of the ankle braces was consistent regardless of the athletes’ age, sex, or body mass index. Importantly, the braces also helped prevent reinjury in athletes who had previously sprained their ankles, which is a common concern in sports.

The study’s authors concluded that lace-up ankle braces are an effective tool for reducing ankle injuries in high school basketball players and likely other athletes as well. They suggest that future research should explore the effectiveness of different types of braces, compare bracing with neuromuscular training programs, and investigate the trend toward other types of lower extremity injuries.

Reference: Timothy A. McGuine, PhD, ATC, et al. The Effect of Lace-Up Ankle Braces on Injury Rates in High School Basketball Players. In The American Journal of Sports Medicine. September 2011. Vol. 39. No. 9. Pp. 1840-1848.