Abstract

In the world of sports, one of the most common injuries that occur are sprains. Specifically, in football, there is a high injury rate due to the result of frequent trauma from player contact. This led to the research question – Does wearing ankle braces reduce injuries compared to those who don’t wear ankle braces in male football athletes? The articles analyzed the effects of ankle braces and supportive taping. The data was analyzed from reliable sources such as PubMed, Journal of Athletic Training, International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, and Journal of Sports Medicine. The keywords used throughout the researching process were “injury”, “sprains”, “bracing”, “ankle”, “support”, “males”, and “athletes” . The common theme of the articles reviewed showed the research supports the use of ankle braces and discussed how effective they are for athletes. This was mainly due to the fact that braces were found to provide mechanical support that further reduces the risks of ankle injuries. Ultimately, research has indicated a positive effect with ankle brace use for protection. It is important to continue to research if ankle braces should be used as a preventative technique to decrease the number of ankle sprains in sports.