Wearing an Ankle Brace May Not Increase Injury Risk to the Knee

Newswise — ATLANTA, Ga. – Giselle Aerni, MD presented her research project “The Effect of Lace-Up Ankle Bracing on Knee Biomechanics During a Jump Landing” at the 21st American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA on April 24, 2012.

“Ankle braces are common in the sport community and there has been concern that stabilizing the ankle joint might alter biomechanics further up the kinetic chain,” said Dr. Aerni. “Our research showed that knee biomechanics known to be risk factors for ACL injury did not appear to be negatively impacted by wearing a lace-up ankle brace.”

The joints in the lower body - hip, knee and ankle work together as a kinetic chain, which means each joint influences the movement of the other joints as a collective group. If there is a restriction in the hip or ankle that may put the knee joint at a compromised position and increase the risk for injury.

The conference featured lectures and research addressing the most challenging topics in sports medicine today including prevention of sudden death, cardiovascular issues in athletes, concussion, biologic therapies, and other controversies facing the field of sports medicine.

More than 1,200 sports medicine physicians from across the United States and 12 countries around the world attended the meeting. Dr. Aerni is a primary care sports medicine fellow at the University of Connecticut. She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, St. Margaret in Pittsburgh, PA and attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians whose members are dedicated to education, research, advocacy, and the care of athletes of all ages. Founded in 1991, the AMSSM is now comprised of more than 2,000 sports medicine physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting.