BRACED FOR IMPACT - REDUCING MILITARY PARATROOPERS ANKLE SPRAINS USING OUTSIDE-THE-BOOT BRACES

Background: Ankle injuries account for 30 to 60% of all parachuting in juries. This study was designed to determine if outside-the-boot ankle braces could reduce ankle sprains during Army paratrooper training. M ethods: The randomized trial involved 777 volunteers from the U.S. Arm y Airborne School, Fort Benning, Ga, Of this group, 745 completed all study requirements (369 brace-wearers and 376 non-brace-wearers). Each volunteer made five parachute jumps, for a total of 3,674 jumps. Resu lts: The incidence of inversion ankle sprains was 1.9% in non-brace-we arers and 0.3% in brace-wearers (risk ratio, 6.9; p = 0.04). Other inj uries appeared unaffected by the brace. Overall, 5.3% of the non-brace group and 4.6% of the brace group experienced at least one injury, Th e risk ratio for injured individuals was 1.2:1 (non-brace to brace gro ups; p = 0.65). Conclusion: Inversion ankle sprains during parachute t raining can be significantly reduced by using an outside-the-boot ankl e brace, with no increase in risk for other injuries. Key Words: Ankle braces, Ankle injuries, Ankle sprains, Army paratrooper training, Inj ury prevention, Inversion ankle sprains, Outside-the-boot ankle braces , Parachute jump, Parachuting, Randomized intervention trial, Military personnel U.S. Army, U.S. Army Airborne School.