Ankle brace

An ankle brace is intended to prevent ankle sprains. The ankle sprain is the most common injury among athletes. But people who do not play sports can also sprain an ankle. An ankle brace is used as a treatment after an ankle sprain to give the ankle rest. The ankle brace can also be used to prevent the ankle from spraining again. After an ankle sprain, the chance of recurrence is many times greater.

What is the best treatment after an ankle sprain?

The best-proven treatments after an ankle sprain are tape, an ankle brace and an exercise programme. All these treatments reduce the risk of sustaining new ankle injury. High shoes, stretching exercises and insoles are not proven to prevent ankle sprains.

There is strong evidence that an ankle brace helps prevent ankle sprains in sport. Nevertheless, an ankle brace is not worn by everyone. This is because an ankle brace is not always comfortable. And athletes find it a 'fuss' to put on a brace each time. The idea still persists that an ankle becomes 'lazy' from wearing a brace. That turns out not to be true. Muscles do not become lazy from wearing a brace.

Ankle brace or stability training of the ankle?

Research shows that an ankle brace gives the lowest chance of a repeat ankle sprain. This does not mean that stability training is not good. Stability training also reduces the chance of spraining the ankle again. The treatment is also very personal and will always have to be tailored to the load the ankle has to endure.

How long should an ankle brace be worn?

Up to a year after the sprain, wearing an ankle brace during sport is recommended. This often means that the use of an ankle brace should last longer than is currently usually done. In particular, the recovery of ankle ligaments can take up to a year.

Which ankle brace is best?

All ankle braces with additional reinforcements are good for preventing new ankle injury. This reinforcement can also be in the form of an elastic band. This is the case, for example, with the so-called compression braces.

There is, however, a lot of difference. The differences are often in wearing comfort and function. A footballer needs more ankle function when kicking. It is also important for footballers that the ball can still be kicked correctly, without it hurting the ankle or the ball going in a different direction because of the shape of the ankle brace.

There are different types of ankle braces:

• Compression brace.
• Lace-up brace.
• Semi-rigid brace (a brace with plastic reinforcements on the side(s) of the ankle brace).

Which ankle brace is good is often person- and sport-dependent. Footballers generally prefer a compression brace because of the wearing comfort and because the brace does not hinder kicking the ball.

Volleyball players prefer a lace-up brace more often. A lace-up brace is stiffer and therefore provides more stability than a compression brace. A volleyball player does not need the feet to play the ball as in football. Runners also prefer the compression brace. This is because runners also need more mobility and less stability in the ankle than volleyball players.

Ask a physiotherapist to advise you which brace suits you best.