Functional ankle braces are designed to limit medio-lateral movements of the ankle
without affecting ankle dorsiflexion or plantar flexion. As running forms a basic
activity in sports, the current study investigated the influence of wearing a Push®
type medium ankle brace upon movements of the foot and ankle during the stance phase
in running. The movements of the lower extremity of seven trained male long-distance
runners were filmed frontally (250 s-1) and sagittally (50 s-1) while running at 4.5 ± 0.1 m · s-1 over a Kistler force platform. The tested brace significantly reduced the range (total
subtalar eversion 13.3 deg vs 18.1 deg, p < 0.05) and rate of subtalar eversion (maximal
velocity - 309 deg · s-1 vs - 533 deg · s-1). Plantar and dorsiflexion were not affected. The vertical impact force peak was
not altered. It was argued that, although this might not be the prime design feature
of the tested ankle brace, this orthotic offers a stragety to influence the range
and the rate of subtalar eversion. It may have the potential to prevent runners from
overuse injuries associated with overpronation, but interaction between the passive
support by the brace and the muscular stabilization of the ankle joint needs further
investigation.
Key words
Running - ankle brace - ankle orthotic - eversion - pronation - impact force
