ROSEMONT, IL--(Marketwire - May 4, 2010) - Sports injuries among high school athletes is estimated at a staggering 2 million each year with 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ankle sprains are the most common sports related injury and the most common acute injury in volleyball. A recent study published in the April issue of Foot and Ankle International (FAI), the official journal of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS), evaluates the effect of different types of ankle braces on the incidence of ankle sprains in high school volleyball players. The results show the use of an ankle brace significantly protects ankles from inversion ankle sprains among athletes who had not suffered from a previous injury.
The author of the study Carol Frey, MD, an AOFAS Active Member, noted that this was the first published study of its kind on the effectiveness of prophylactic ankle bracing in high school volleyball players. According to Dr. Frey, "Prophylactic ankle brace use is recommended for female volleyball players, especially those who have not had a previous sprain. Based on our data, however, we could not strongly recommend prophylactic ankle brace use for male high school volleyball players."
The study evaluated 999 high school varsity volleyball players in Los Angeles, 40.7% male and 59.3% female, for an entire playing season. Five different types of ankle braces were used in the study including rigid, semi-rigid and non-rigid braces. Players were instructed to wear the brace during all practices and games. The braced group consisted of 957 participants and the un-braced control group included 42 participants. The results showed 9.3% of the athletes (93 out of 999) suffered an inversion ankle sprain during the course of one season. The sprains occurred almost equally among the braced group (9.3%) and the un-braced group (9.5%). However, when studying only those athletes who had not had a previous sprain, the results showed a significant decrease in ankle sprains among athletes in two of the brace groups.
Although study results showed no significant difference between the type of brace (rigid, semi-rigid, non-rigid) worn as a whole, there was a gender difference found in the group that wore the non-rigid brace; there was a statistically significant increase in injuries in female ankle sprains as compared to male ankle sprains wearing the same brace. There was an even more significant increase in ankle sprains seen in the group of women wearing a non-rigid brace as compared to the group of women wearing a semi-rigid or rigid brace. Study authors suggest "this increase may be due to the gender difference of women having greater ligament laxity than men and thus, a more rigid external support provided more protection."
About the AOFAS
The AOFAS promotes quality, ethical and cost-effective patient care through education, research and training of orthopaedic surgeons and other health care providers. It creates public awareness for the prevention and treatment of foot and ankle disorders, provides leadership, and serves as a resource for government, industry and the national and international health care community.
About Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons
Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons are medical doctors (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal system of the foot and ankle. This includes the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles tendons, nerves, and skin. Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons use medical, physical, and rehabilitative methods as well as surgery to treat patients of all ages. They perform reconstructive procedures, treat sports injuries, and manage and treat trauma of the foot and ankle.
Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons work with physicians of many other specialties, including internal medicine, pediatrics, vascular surgery, endocrinology, radiology, anesthesiology, and others. Medical school curriculum and post-graduate training provides the solid clinical background necessary to recognize medical problems, admit patients to a hospital when necessary, and contribute significantly to the coordination of care appropriate for each patient.
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Contact Information:
Contact:
Peggy Reilly
(847-384-4379)