Ankle injuries have also been in the spotlight recently in scientific papers. The second update to the standards of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG) also contains an important change: “for the functional treatment of lateral ankle ligament injury, tape or an ankle brace is recommended”. We therefore believe that it is worth putting ankle injuries and ankle braces under the spotlight in this edition of our newsletter.
Recently, the results of a study by Van den Bekerom et al. (2015) were released which compares the effects of tape, a semi-rigid brace and a lace-up brace. The results don’t show any difference in the functional outcome after 6 months. Although the economic advantages of the three types of treatment don’t come into this study, it is stated that a brace is more cost-effective and patient-friendly than tape (Source: Bekerom, M.P.J. van den et al., Randomized comparison of tape versus semi rigid and versus lace up ankle support in the treatment of acute lateral ankle ligament injury. Doi: 10.1007/s00167-015-3664-y).
When the classification used in the research is compared against the Push range, the Push Aequi and the Push Aequi Flex would come under the category of semi-rigid braces. In the absence of a more detailed classification, the Push med Ankle Brace could come under the category ‘lace-up brace’ in terms of how it works, with the caveat that the Push med Ankle Brace has all the specific characteristics of a tape bandage with its combination of compression, support and adhesion.
Ankle injuries are the most common sports injuries. It therefore comes as no surprise that a lot is said and written in the world of sport about ankle injuries and ankle braces.
Babette Pluim (sports physician at the KNLTB) gives some tips in her blog on preventing (recurring) ankle injuries. Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries in tennis. In her blog, Babette Pluim makes a reference to scientific research that reveals that a brace or tape significantly reduces athletes’ risk of prolonged ankle ligament injuries. She also underlines the fact that it is a myth that wearing a brace could weaken ankle musculature, and one of her tips is to do balance and muscle-strengthening exercises as well.
We recently visited the Royal Dutch Korfball Union (KNKV). From a conversation with physiotherapist Ada Jansen on the use of braces in korfball, we learned that the physiotherapist makes players train with an ankle brace. In this meeting, Ada Jansen also stressed again that it is a misconception that a brace weakens your ankles and joints.
The article on Sportzorg.nl also refutes the misconception on the use of braces weakening muscles and joints. It is in fact not true that you don’t use any muscles when you are wearing a brace. That article also contains tips on what to do after an ankle sprain. It recommends that, in addition to the use of a brace, muscles should be given extra training after an ankle injury to increase the ankle’s active stability.
Push Braces has a wide range of braces, including ankle braces, and is therefore able to help reduce (recurring) ankle injuries and other types of injuries.