Braces' joint effects spur research surge

"How a joint articulates between bones has researchers and clinicians taking a closer look at the interdependence of joints in the context of bracing. The effect of ankle bracing on the knee, for example, has received the most attention in the literature.

Evidence suggests that ankle supports may transfer loads to other joints, putting them at risk for injury, according to a literature review by Brent Arnold, PhD, an associate professor of exercise science at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.

Conventionally aligned ankle foot orthoses increase demand on the knee extensor muscles that can be ameliorated by realigning a device to account for shoe heel height, according to a study at Northwestern University in Chicago."