Prevention of ankle sprains.

Abstract

Ankles are sprained when supported on an unstable foundation, while too rididly fixed to the playing surface, or when forced into unnatural positions by extrinsic muscle tightness. The unstable foundation may be the shoe itself, a chuck-hole, or another player's foot. Undue fixation may be by 1-inch mud cleats, baseball spikes, or a modern wrestling mat. When these circumstances occur, heel cord tightness may alter the ankle's response. Thus, prevention of ankle sprains may be by modification of any of these factors.