The effects of the tension of figure-8 straps of a soft ankle orthosis on the ankle joint kinematics while walking in healthy young adults: A pilot study.

Background: Figure-8 straps are commonly used in ankle orthoses, which are provided to reduce the risks of primary and recurrent sprain by providing functional support. Functional treatment with ankle orthoses can provide better rehabilitation than immobilization for a mild ankle sprain. However, it is not known how much tension should be applied to the straps while donning the orthosis to optimize its effectiveness.

Research Question: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of figure-8 strap tension of a soft ankle orthosis on ankle joint kinematics in the sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes during gait in healthy young adults.

Methods: Ten healthy adults (five males and five females) were enrolled in this study. The 3-dimensional motion analysis system was used to evaluate the ankle kinematics of the participants during gait under five conditions: no soft ankle orthosis, soft ankle orthosis with no figure-8 straps tension (lace-up only), 50 N, 80 N, and 110 N tension of the figure-8 straps, respectively. All participants walked in a straight path at a comfortable speed.

Results: Plantarflexion angles were significantly reduced with 110 N of tension in the figure-8 straps when compared to the lace-up only and a moderate correlation with r = 0.34 (p = 0.03) was observed between the tensions of figure-8 straps and maximum plantarflexion angles at pre-swing of a gait cycle. No significant effects on ankle joint angles were demonstrated in the coronal and transverse planes.

Significance: This study showed that increasing the tension of the figure-8 straps could restrict the ankle joint plantarflexion angle during pre-swing in gait. However, it might not affect inversion/eversion or internal/external rotation angles of the ankle joint in individuals without ankle pathologies.