Earlier in the 20th century, ankle braces were only found at sports and playing fields. This is due to the fact that they were quite expensive and were designed to fix sports injuries. These braces were seen taping an athlete’s ankle only as they were only known as sports injury equipment. However, with the change in time and advancement of technology, braces companies made variations in the ankle braces designs. Nowadays, you can find a wide variety of ankle braces including low-end, high-end, and sports ankle brace.
These ankle braces are designed to provide extensive support to prevent an ankle from getting hurt and stay stiff post-injury. They are more commonly used to prevent ankle injuries from occurring in the first place. Studies have also shown that people who don’t wear ankle braces are more likely to get injured during physical activity than those who do. Though they are not designed to fix a broken ankle, knee, or other joint injuries, they can prevent them from happening.
Many internal parts of your body keep your ankle safe including ankle ligaments, muscles, and bones. All these parts provide strength to your hip from foot, allowing ideal performance. Here, ankle braces provide only external supports to the leg, limit the motion of the ankle, and enable smooth movements. Sports ankle brace provides maximum support when they are of the perfect fit. Therefore, you must check the size of your shoes before choosing the ankle brace.
Myths about Ankle braces
- Prevent all ankle injuries
There is nothing that can prevent severe injuries from happening. People are usually in a delusion that wearing ankle braces will help them prevent ankle fracture and other acute injuries. All it can do is reduce the risk of an ankle sprain. They can be used for preventing minor sprain or twisting of the ankle during any sports or physical activity.
- Cause muscle weakness
Generally, prolonged immobilization is associated with the weakening of muscles. However, ankle brace doesn’t completely immobilize the ankle and are worn during their sports. There is no confirmation wearing ankle braces weakens the muscle. While it can delay activation of muscle but that doesn’t have any effect on ankle movement.
- Impair performance
Braces usually restrict the motion of ankle but this is not associated with performance. Also, studies have shown that these braces do not affect the performance it only provides support to the ankle. It doesn’t affect an athlete’s speed, agility, and performance.
- Increases knee injuries
There is no evidence of occurring of knee injuries while using during any physical activity. Even research is done on sports tasks, and there was no impact on knee function and performance. Most braces include straps that can be easily adjusted for better performance, and that doesn’t have any negative impact on the performance of ankle, knee, or leg.
The Bottom Line
There are a variety of braces that can be used for mild, moderate, and maximum degree sprain. Even sportspersons use them during their matches to prevent ankle winding.