Ankle
orthoses are commonly used for protection against initial
ankle sprain injuries and for protection against
reinjury. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the DonJoy Ankle Ligament Protector (ALP) and the Aircast Sport-Stirrup (AS) on the functional performance tasks of a 40-meter sprint, a figure-of-eight run, and standing vertical jump. Subjects were 14 males and nine females who reported a history of two or more lateral
ankle sprains of the same ankle and no
sprains of the contralateral ankle. Each subject performed all functional tasks on the first test day with both ankles unbraced and with the recurrently sprained ankle braced with one of the two
orthoses. Each subject returned for testing on a second day and performed all tasks with both ankles unbraced and with the other
orthosis on the recurrently sprained ankle. Subjects also rated the
orthoses for comfort and support. Analysis of variance indicated that braced data were not significantly different than unbraced data and that data for the two
orthoses did not differ significantly for any of the functional performance tasks. Seventy-four percent of the subjects reported the AS was more comfortable than the ALP, and 61% of the subjects indicated that the AS provided more support than the ALP. Neither
orthosis had an effect on functional performance. The results may assist clinicians in selecting either of these
orthoses for use in protection against
ankle sprain injury.