Ankle Bracing as a Public Health Game Changer: A Narrative Review on the Prevention of Ankle Injuries in Basketball Players

TL;DR

Ankle bracing is a practical and cost-effective way to prevent ankle injuries in basketball without affecting performance.

Contribution

This review highlights ankle bracing as a scalable public health strategy for injury prevention in basketball.

Findings

Ankle braces reduce first-time and re-injury risks in basketball players without affecting performance.

Ankle bracing does not increase the risk of knee injuries.

Seasonal team bracing programs are low cost and likely cost-effective.

Abstract

Ankle injuries are among the most common sports injuries in basketball and represent a substantial public health and economic burden. This narrative review synthesises evidence on ankle bracing as external protective support and shows that ankle braces reduce the risk of both first-time injuries and ankle re-injuries in basketball players without significantly affecting sport-specific performance, such as sprinting, jumping, or changing direction. Similarly, despite earlier theoretical concerns, current evidence shows no increased risk of knee injury associated with the use of ankle bracing. Mechanistic studies indicate that protection is provided by limiting excessive frontal-plane motion, enhancing proprioceptive feedback, and increasing perceived joint stability. Economic analyses show that a single ankle injury generates considerable direct and indirect costs, whereas seasonal team-wide ankle bracing programmes are low cost per athlete and likely cost-effective at scale. As a public health measure, ankle bracing is practical and easily scalable in community and sports settings. Overall, routine ankle bracing is shown to be a feasible, low-cost strategy for primary and secondary prevention of ankle injuries in basketball without compromising performance, and may support broader participation goals aligned with Sport for All principles.

Figures