Effect of ankle brace on the time to stabilization and peak vertical ground reaction force in healthy female athletes with and without fatigue

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of ankle brace on the time to stabilization (TTS) and vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) in healthy female college athlete with or without fatigue.

Nineteen female active college athletes volunteered to participate in this quasi-experimental study. VGRF and TTS were evaluated by foot pressure system during landing with and without brace before and after fatigue.

The results showed that the use of brace had no effect on TTS with and without fatigue (P <0.05). According to the results brace reduces first peak VGRF (P = 0.01), (P = 0.04) and the second peak VGRF (P = 0.004), (P = 0.032), before and after fatigue, respectively, compared to the control condition in the forefoot. Also, the use of brace increased the rate of first peak VGRF (P = 0.009), (P = 0.02), increase of second peak VGRF(P = 0.025), (P = 0.002), decrease in time to first peak VGRF(P = 0.007), (P = 0.018) and decrease in time to second peak VGRF(P = 0.026), (P = 0.01), respectively, before and after fatigue in the back foot.

According to the results of present study it is concluded that brace were not affected on the TTS, increase the peak VGRF and reduce the time to the VGRF on the back foot. So the use of ankle bracing with the aim of influencing these factors and reduce the risk of injuries associated with them is not recommended.