The ankle joint is very susceptible to injuries such as sprains or ligament lesions. Since these injuries are very common nowadays, it is important that there is an adequate therapeutic tool for the treatment of ankle injuries. One such means of conservative therapy is the ankle bandage.
The ankle bandage fulfils various functions: On the one hand, it provides relief and at the same time stabilizes the ankle. The stabilizing effect is particularly important in acute and chronic ligament instabilities. In addition, a bandage protects the ankle joint and relieves irritation caused by traumatic events or after operations.
Simultaneous swellings of the ankle joint can also be treated and reduced by the bandage. Despite the compressive effect for stabilization, an ankle bandage does not restrict the general range of motion to such an extent that it could lead to restriction. Also worth mentioning is the function of thermal regulation, which can also be used to meet the requirements of an ankle bandage.
The material of the bandage must be selected in such a way that it has the property of breathability. Since ankle supports are often worn during sports, sweat must be able to escape into the air so that the muscles of the ankle under the support do not cool down. At the same time, a certain amount of heat storage is beneficial, as this is good for blood circulation and supports healing.
Besides breathability, skin compatibility is also important. A quality feature is also the property to be easy to care for. Especially when doing sports, the bandage is sweaty after being worn several times and should therefore have a material that can be easily cleaned with a washing machine.
Even after several washings the material should still be flexible and elastic. In addition, the accuracy of fit is important, which is usually ensured by the elastic and individually adaptable material of the ankle bandage. In order to avoid pressure points, especially with the new ankle supports, care is taken to ensure that the edges are so well finished that they do not cut into or curl up at the end and thus form pressure points.
In addition, it is important that the material fits tightly, so that the corresponding wearing comfort is also guaranteed in sports shoes and you can wear your normal sports shoes without having to change to a larger shoe size. A great advantage of an ankle bandage is the fact that the foot can be fully loaded while wearing it and therefore does not represent a restriction. The necessity for wearing an ankle brace can be due to various reasons.
Ligament injuries very often occur due to distortion of the ankle joint, i.e. overstretching of the ligaments resulting in strain or compression. Sometimes it is sufficient to apply the PECH rule, i.e. rest, ice, compression and high support. However, once a ligament is torn, it is still possible to proceed conservatively, but the ankle should be immobilized with an orthosis or stabilized with an ankle brace.
Wearing an elastic bandage makes sense, especially in the case of chronic ligament instability, especially if there is no response to surgical ligament reconstruction. The function of the bandage in the event of a torn ligament, for example after a twist trauma, is to prevent those movements when the ligament is twisted. Even if the cause lies in the instability of the ligaments, the bandage serves to limit those movements.
Apart from the reasons for sprains, instability or distortion, clinical pictures such as arthrosis or arthritis can also be treated with an ankle brace. After acute injuries, the ankle bandage is often used as a rehabilitation support, as it allows the ankle joint to slowly but surely return to its original position and provide some protection. The bandage also helps with irritation caused by trauma.
However, the ankle brace can also be worn for prophylactic purposes. The aim is to provide the ligament structures of the ankle joint with a kind of guidance and simultaneous stabilization. By absorbing jerky movements or minimizing forces, injuries cannot be prevented, but they become unlikely.
Wearing the support reduces the risk of a twisting trauma (so-called supination trauma) in particular, since the support stabilizes the ligaments. An ankle brace can also act as a kind of “shock absorber”.In general, certain sports such as foot, volleyball, hand and basketball increase the risk of ankle injuries. High-risk sports are characterized by rapid and abrupt changes of direction and sudden stops, which are particularly stressful for joints and associated ligament structures.
However, it is not uncommon for regular joggers to require an ankle bandage. This may be because sometimes beginners damage their feet through poor footwear and overloading, resulting in problems in the ankle’s ligament structures and even instability. The whole thing can be provoked by running too fast, walking on uneven ground (the risk of twisting is particularly high here) and lack of stretching or warming up. For this reason, athletes with a feeling of instability in the ankle joint often wear an ankle bandage while jogging. Wearing an ankle bandage, both as a preventive measure and after injuries, can therefore make the injuries less likely and also have a positive effect on the healing process.
