Case Study 4-ankle bracing
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School
Texas Tech University *
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Course
4338
Subject
Health Science
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
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2
Uploaded by CommodoreFieldOtter10
The boys’ basketball team at Eldorado Canyon High School was experiencing a seventh victorious season. They were considered one of the best teams in the state and had several players who enjoyed success beyond their high school court. Those players were also involved in
AAU programs whose teams’ experienced success on a national level. Despite their winning records, they were not a pretentious group. They were recently selected for the Ewing Sportsmanship Award that was presented to the boys’ basketball team in the league who best exemplified this quality. Their coach, Duncan Jones, was proud of them.
Their athletic trainer, Skipper Dane, had enjoyed working with them as well. Skipper had been the school’s athletic trainer for the past six years. He enjoyed watching the achievements of the team as well as those of several other teams that the school fielded. Mostly, he enjoyed the community of coaches, athletes, and parents that he had considered an extended family of sorts. It was quite different from his last school. He really enjoyed going to work every day. Recently, Skipper had a few athletes who had sustained lateral ankle injuries. They were from a variety of sports such as track and volleyball, but most of these injuries occurred to members of the basketball team. However, with so many of his teams experiencing winning seasons thus far, he wanted to do all that he could to keep every one of his athletes active and healthy. The question of why so many ankle injuries had been occurring, however, continued to bother him.
Skipper had recently read several research articles that had referenced ankle bracing as a more effective alternative to ankle taping. The articles were in his professional journals, and they appeared convincing while stressing several key points. Substantial arguments were presented as to why one approach was more recommended than the other. However, he had found consistently effective outcomes with ankle taping over the years and it seemed like a reasonable alternative to continue with. He even had the occasional athlete who actually preferred taping to bracing. One athlete in particular, stated the taping felt much more supportive than any brace he had ever worn. Still, the research appeared to show otherwise, therefore, he wanted to at least consider it.
One challenge in considering his options was budget constraints. While the school seemed to value what he provided for the athletes and the athletic program, the budget that Skipper had to provide those services with, was the smallest he had ever operated. When he began six years ago,
the budget was not nearly as limited as it is today. Two years ago, the struggling economy caused many schools to review the allocation of funds throughout the school district. At the time,
he was concerned that his position would be cut. While he eventually survived the round of staff terminations, his budget had not been so lucky, enduring a 40 percent reduction.
Now, he was concerned about being able to provide the best services for his athletes due to these constraints. He would like to consider the option of putting his athletes in ankle braces, but he might not be able to do so without compromising his budget. The fixed budget was all he had to operate his athletic training room with for the entire school year. He also had to keep in mind that should he choose to tape those who were in need, this could also become expensive over a period of time. He considered purchasing a limited number of braces to have on hand for loaning
out, but in the end, he figured it would probably not be enough. To put all athletes into a brace who either needed or wanted one would likely be a greater amount than he could order in
advance. He wondered how he would even decide who to offer a brace to while having to consider the alternative option, taping, for another. He did not want to appear as though he favored certain athletes over others. If there was a more scientifically proven approach, he would
like to be able to provide the service for all.
Skipper also considered yet another option. He could charge the families for the purchase of a brace if one was needed. While this alternative seemed a viable option, he did have several athletes who were from low-income situations. It would be a difficult approach.
His mind wandered back…how much importance should be placed on the articles he read and their role in determining his approach to taping vs. bracing?
Analytical Questions
1.
What factors should Skipper consider for the increases in ankle injuries?
2.
What are the pros and cons of each of Skipper’s current plans? Are there viable alternative options for any of the cons?
3.
How could Skipper be more financially creative in his ability to provide what is necessary for best practice measures -- for preventative care as well as post injury care?
4.
How does Skipper approach the presented research to determine if it is supported by appropriate research methods?
Application Exercises
1.
Create an effective five-minute, athlete-guided preventative exercise program to decrease
the incidence of ankle injuries.
2.
Does the literature actually support that ankle braces are superior to ankle taping? Why or why not?
©National Athletic Trainers’ Association 2013
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