The effectiveness of ankle braces in the prevention of ankle injuries among volleyball and basketball players : a systematic review

Background: Ankle sprain is the most common injury among volleyball and basketball players, responsible for long time loss of physical activity. Therefore it is important to examine the preventive measures for this common problem. However no consensus has been reached in the current publications according the preventive effect of ankle braces in this high-risk population, regarding if the player had a history of ankle sprain or not. Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to determine the preventive effect of ankle braces on the incidence and severity of ankle injuries among volleyball and basketball players. Study design: systematic review of literature Methods: Four electronic databases (Pubmed, Pedro, Web of Science and Embase) were used to search for articles in December 2016. Data were extracted and study quality was determined by one investigator. The methodological quality of the included studies was estimated using different checklists. Results: Twelve studies evaluating 4490 participants met the inclusion criteria. Only one out of twelve studies reported no preventive effect of the braces. All the other studies showed significant results for the braces’ preventive effect. Conclusion: Ankle braces are a good preventive strategy in this high risk population. They should be recommended to these players as a preventive method for an initial injury. However, for players with a history ankle injuries, no unambiguous conclusions could be reached, therefore further research is recommended.Master [60] en kinésithérapie et réadaptation, Université catholique de Louvain, 2017La diffusion de ce mémoire n'est pas autorisée par l'institutio