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Ankle Brace or Tape?

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Published on Sunday, 04 October 2009 21:50

Written by Anne Moss Rogers

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.- On the gridiron, ankle braces have outstripped tape.

Recommended athletic braces for support during vigorous athletics. Which one is based more on personal preference. ASO Stabilizing Orthosis (ASO Ankle Brace) $35-45 Prevents ankle rollovers and provides stability. It is the original gold standard of stabilizing orthosis category. The figure 8 lace up with additional velcro closure at the top to maintain ankle stability. This brace is often recommended by sports med doctors, Physical Therapists, athletic trainers and coaches. These fit either left or right. Get the ASO Ankle Brace See the SportsMedInfo.net ASO Ankle Brace Review Bauerfeind MalleoLoc Ankle Brace $79-90 Lightweight ankle stability and is contoured to provide total control of excessive roll over. It's made from a thermomolded plastic which can be heated to make minor fitting adjustments. Some consider this the most comfortable with the heat transfer feature. Stabilizing ankle orthosis is specifically contoured to increase stability without restricting mobility and is often the brace recommended by foot doctors. The Bauerfeind is the pricier of the two. These come in LEFT and RIGHT! Get the Bauerfeind MalleoLoc Ankle Brace See the SportsMedInfo.net Bauerfeind Ankle Brace Review.

In an eight-year Bowman Gray study of 300 Wake Forest football players, the 48% who wore ankle braces for 656 player-years had only 43 sprains, says Dr. Monte Hunter.

But the 52% who chose tape to protect their ankles had 115 injuries over 678 player-years.

See how to put on an ASO ankle brace.

Injured players selecting the ankle-stabilizing orthosis got back on the field in a mean of six days, vs. eight days for those who preferred to use tape, he told the Southern Orthopaedic Association meeting here. Some crossed over.

The variable of high-top or low-top shoes was not significant. Dr. Hunter ran the study during 1,466 practices and 89 games.

-----------Source Physician's Weekly-physiciansweekly.com by Judith Groch

Criteria for Choosing an Ankle Brace should be as follows:

1. Do not go too low. The brace should provide support and coverage all the way up above the malleolus (ankle bones). If you try and go for low profile ankle brace, you run the risk of twisting the ankle which is precisely what you get a brace to prevent in the first place.
2. A good ankle brace has vertical protection on the sides to provide support and protect the ankle from rolling over. This is can be in the form of stays, vertical plastic struts, shells, or nylon straps that are pulled upward and are attached to the sides of the brace. Stays are not mandatory if you have a figure 8 lace up brace.
3. A figure eight brace will stabilize the ankle on the athletic field.
4. Pull-on designs will not provide adequate protection for rollovers. A lace-up design or locking design often provides a more exact custom fit while pull-up designs may offer quicker fitting but offer less support and protection.