The effect of ankle stabilizers on athletic performance. A randomized prospective study.

The ankle is the site of more than one third of all injuries that occur to male basketball players. Although ankle bracing may prevent injury, many players believe that braces restrict athletic performance. This belief discourages use of braces and obviates the injury protection that bracing provides. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine whether athletic performance (in four basketball-related activities) was affected by three ankle brace designs (Universal, Kallassy, and Air-Stirrup ankle training brace), 2) determine whether specific braces are better for specific athletic activities, and 3) determine whether athletic performance changes with brace use. Twelve high school basketball players wore each brace type while vertical jumping, standing long jumping, cone running, and 18.3-meter shuttle running at two test times (initially and after 1 week of acclimation). Our data showed that these braces had no significant effects on athletic performance. No brace affected athletic performance in one specific activity more than another, and athletic performance did not change with brace use. We concluded that prophylactic ankle bracing does not inhibit athletic performance.