Development of stabilizing shoe inserts and testing apparatus to mitigate ankle injury in sports

Engineering of Sport 15 - Proceedings from the 15th International Conference on the Engineering of Sport (ISEA 2024)

The ongoing effort to protect athletes in jumping sports centers around the ability to protect the ankle from injury. Ankle injuries are the most frequent injury to basketball and volleyball players, accounting for 58% and 63 % of all injuries respectively. From earlier NCAA studies, it was reported that 77.1 % of ankle sprain injuries are to the lateral ligament complex, which indicates a low ankle sprain. Multiple ankle sprain prevention methods already exist to resist the ankle sprain mechanism such as ankle braces. The weakest and primarily injured ligament of this complex is the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL). An ankle sprain is induced by the rapid supination of the foot, with a 60-degree angle of supination being sufficient to injure the ATFL and the major component in injuring the ankle. Also, applying a stiff counterforce to the ankle will redirect the force induced to the leg in an ankle sprain up to the knee or hip, resulting in a more serious injury. Therefore, footwear that provides strength with force absorption to the ATFL and disallows a 60- degree angle of supination is ideal in preventing injury to the ATFL. This paper will discuss the fabrication of a tailored prototype that resists ankle supination and a method for prototype validation.