Hobara H, et al. – This study aspired to analyze the influence of ankle and/or knee braces on leg stiffness, determined during one–legged ­hopping at a range of frequencies. Due to the requirement of a certain level of leg stiffness for optimal athletic performance and training, the data indicated that ankle and knee braces did not notably interfere with dynamic hopping activities.

Methods

• 13 male enrollees performed one-legged hopping with their dominant leg at frequencies of 2.2, 2.6, and 3.0 Hz.
• Candidates were randomly examined under the following four brace conditions: 1) no brace (control), 2) prophylactic ankle brace, 3) prophylactic knee brace, and 4) prophylactic ankle and knee braces.
• The leg stiffness was measured through the data from an accelerometer, on the basis of a spring–mass model.

Results

• Leg stiffness appeared to increase with increasing hopping frequency for each brace condition.
• No prominent variations were observed in leg stiffness among the four brace conditions, at the three hopping frequencies.