The effect of ankle brace type on braking response time—A randomised study

IntroductionThe question whether or not a patient with an ankle brace should drive a car is of obvious importance because brake response time (BRT) is considered one of the most important factors for driving safety.Materials and methodsApplying a crossover study design, 70 healthy participants (35 women, 35 men) participated in our study. BRT was assessed using a custom-made driving simulator. We assessed BRT under six conditions: without a brace (control) (1), with a typical postoperative ankle brace with adjustable ROM and the settings: unrestricted (2), fixed at 15° (3) plantar flexion, restricted with 15°/50° (4) (dorsal/plantar flexion), a brace for ligament instabilities (5) and an elastic ankle bandage (6). Participants were instructed to apply the brake pedal exclusively with the right foot as quickly as possible on receipt of a visual stimulus.ResultsThe 70 participants showed significantly impaired BRT with the ankle brace for ROM restriction in the settings: unrestricted (p < 0.001), fixed at 15° plantar flexion (p < 0.001) and 15°/50° dorsal/plantar flexion (p < 0.001) as compared to the control group. BRT was not impaired with the brace for ankle instabilities or the elastic ankle bandage.ConclusionsIn conclusion, right-sided ROM restricting ankle braces involve significant impairment of BRT in healthy participants. No such prolonged BRT was found for an elastic ankle bandage or the ligament brace.