Ankle Bracing and Satisfaction

Ankle injuries, especially ankle sprains, are common injuries in sports. Mistreated ankle sprains result in pain, absence from sports participation, and can lead to physical restrictions such as ankle instability or reinjury. These negative effects can lower patient satisfaction scores later in recovery making this research applicable to health professionals. Ankle taping is standard practice in return to play criteria in the collegiate setting. Researchers question if this treatment is best for patient satisfaction. The purpose of this research is to evaluate patient satisfaction with the use of semi-rigid ankle braces versus ankle taping in collegiate athletes. 

To research which aid may be more effective in return to play, academic articles were analyzed then compared to each other to determine their applicability. A comprehensive literature search was conducted through PubMed and Cochrane. Keywords like ankle sprain, return 

to play(RTP), tape(ing), brace(ing), semi-rigid brace, and patient satisfaction were used. Experiments, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were included. Out of over 30 articles, fifteen were included with publication dates ranging from March 2002 to December 2020. 

Research showed semi-rigid ankle braces rather than ankle taping increased patient satisfaction after RTP from an ankle sprain in collegiate athletes. In conclusion, more research needs to be done to determine if semi-rigid bracing over taping is beneficial in patient satisfaction after an ankle sprain has occurred.