Saturday, February 14, 2009

Football Ankle Braces

By Kenneth Elliott

There have been many studies that support the notion those ankles that have previous ankle sprains have a tendency to become re-injured in the future. This comes from the fact that the ankle has not been cared for when previous injuries occurred. Not caring the ankle makes it unstable and opens a window for it to get re-injured in the future. Football is a very competitive sport. Players always push injuries for the love of the game. If this is the case it is important for football players to be proactive and wear ankle braces for football. Ankle braces are there to help a player to operate at their full potential. They are also there to help the player to continue the healing process. Doctors support the fact that when ankle injuries occur never damage also is a problem. Major nerve receptors call proproceptors are cut or damaged also. These receptors are responsible for alerting the body when the ankle has gone too far in a wrong direction, alerting the body to take action to correct the problem. This is a protection mechanism of the body to keep itself from damaging itself. If the body is unable to protect itself anymore, braces are needed to help the body during the healing process.

Do you have an idea that you may have proprioceptor damage? This is a way that you can tell.

One of the ways to know that you may have propioceptors damage is Lack of balance. An easy test that your doctor can do is to administer a balance test. Your doctor will ask you to stand on one leg and count to 15. If during your 15 seconds you have to put your leg down because you cant keep balance then you may have the nerve damage.

How can a player reduce the risk of re-injury? The key is to being proactive. Playing on quality surfaces is one thing a player can do. For example, football players often play on artificial turf. I know, they have no control over the field. But they can voice their concern knowing that artificial turf can cause future ankle injuries. Artificial turf when friction between the players feet and the turf tend to hold onto players feet. When the feet are held the foot stays stationary while the player is still in motion in another direction, causing an ankle injury. Ankle braces cant solve the problem but can help to not have an injury. - 15437

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