title: The Spectral Qualities of Postural Control are Unaffected by 4 Days of Ankle-Brace Application.
abstract: OBJECTIVE: To determine if the spectral qualities of medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) center of pressure during a 1-legged stance are affected by 4 days of ankle-brace application. DESIGN AND SETTING: The study, which consisted of a pretest-posttest randomized group design, took place in the Sports Injury Research Laboratory at Indiana State University. SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight Indiana State University students, who had not suffered from any ankle injuries within the past 2 years and were free of any neurologic or vestibular disorders, participated in the study. MEASUREMENTS: The effects of 3 independent variables on mean frequency amplitude for both ML and AP center of pressure were examined: (1) treatment (brace, control), (2) frequency bin (0%-20%, 20%-40%, 40%-60%, 60%-80%, and 80%-100% of area), and (3) time (pretest, immediately after brace application, and after 1, 2, 3, or 4 days of brace wear). RESULTS: We detected no difference (P >.05) for the ML or AP mean frequency when comparing the brace and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Application of an ankle brace may not require modifications in the postural-control strategies during a 1-legged stance in subjects with healthy ankles.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
authors.forename: Riann M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ingersoll
authors.forename: Mitchell L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cordova
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kinzey