Do ankle braces work for injuries?
Ankle sprains occur in nearly all types of sporting events. To understand ankle sprains, one must first understand ankle anatomy. The ankle joint (or talar joint) has 3 bones and 3 groups of stabilizing ligaments. The talus articulates in a hinge fashion with both the tibia and the fibula. The distal tibia and fibula are stabilized by the tibiofibular ligaments (anterior and posterior), also known as the syndesmosis. The thick deltoid ligament supports the medial aspect of the ankle and helps to limit eversion. The medial ankle is inherently more stable than the lateral ankle and is, therefore, the site of fewer injuries. Most ankle sprains are inversion injuries involving either complete or partial tearing of the lateral ligament complex, which is composed of 3 distinct ligaments: the anterior talofibular, the calcaneofibular, and the posterior talofibular. These ligaments are usually injured in a sequential fashion from anterior to posterior, depending on the severity of the inversio
