Ankle braces are very popular among athletes. People rely on ankle braces to protect weak ankles from another sprain. But, do they work? And more importantly, are there any negative side effects from wearing braces in the first place? the answers to these questions may be a little surprising, but they will help you protect yourself better, which is the main goal…
First off, do ankle braces work? Does taping an ankle work? Do ankle wraps work? The short answer is sort of… Yes, they are great at immobilizing your ankle and helping protect you from a sprain. But, your ankle will get weaker and weaker as time goes on. And, immobilizing the ankle is NOT a good thing. I’ll explain why in a second. So yes, ankle braces will help protect your ankles from a sprain, but at a very heavy cost.
What does that mean? Simple… your ankles are not supposed to be immobile. Actually, they are one of your most flexible joints. Go ahead and wiggle your ankle around and you will see how mobile it is supposed to be. So, it’s never a good idea to immobilize something that is supposed to be mobile. In this case, since the ankle brace is immobilizing it, let’s take a look at what happens in the body next…
Okay, since your ankle can’t move properly, when you move laterally (to the side), some thing else will have to move. The body naturally goes up the chain to the next joint, which is the knee. The big problem here is that unlike the ankles, the knees are a stable joint. They are supposed to stay firm when you move. But, since you have that ankle brace on, the knee will have to move now. And guess what? that’s really bad news, because ACL tears are the next thing that can happen. And as far as we’re concerned, that’s much more serious than a sprained ankle.
Plus, and let’s not forget, your ankle is using the ankle brace as a crutch, so it just gets weaker and weaker, which significantly effects your overall speed and lateral agility. You would be so much better off doing proper rehab for your ankle, so that they are so strong and mobile, you don’t need a brace. In fact, if you have strong, flexible ankles, you will be able to sustain most twists and sprains without injury and without the downside of an ankle brace.
If you have a sprained ankle or weak ankles from wearing braces and old injuries, do the proper rehab and prehab necessary to get back to full strength. It will pay huge dividends down the road.
