Prophylactic ankle bracing vs. taping: effects on functional performance in female basketball players

Ankle support devices are commonly used for prevention and treatment of ankle injury, but the effect of these on sport performance has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different ankle support devices on four basketball-related performance tests. Eleven female basketball players underwent four performance tests (vertical jump, jump shot, sprint drill, and submaximal treadmill run) while wearing five different types of ankle support on both ankles (no support, tape, Swede-O-Universal, Active Ankle, and Aircast). Ankle support effect on overall performance was assessed using Friedman's analysis of variance (ANOVA) by ranks and on specific performance parameters using one-way ANOVA for repeated measures. Overall performance was impaired by ankle support. The Active Ankle brace impaired performance the least out of the support devices. Vertical jump was less with ankle tape as compared with no tape (p < .05), whereas jump shot accuracy was better with tape as compared with the Swede-O-Universal (p < .05). Oxygen consumption (VO2) and energy expenditure were higher with the Aircast as compared with tape (p < .05). It was concluded that the use of ankle support by female basketball players does adversely affect basketball-related performance tests, and the prophylactic benefit of bracing needs to be weighed against performance impairment.