3 Reasons why your child should wear an ankle brace
As traditional children’s sports like soccer, hockey, basketball and baseball continue to gain momentum, so extreme sports – such as skateboarding, BMX, MTB, snowboarding and wakeboarding – have seen greater popularity in recent years. Whether your child likes to take risks, show off their rebellious side or socialize through sport, physical activity helps them build confidence, relieve stress and improve fitness (something any parent would be excited about). But alongside sport often comes injury, pain and difficult life lessons. As parents, providing our kids with the best protection available, while not hampering our children’s desire to conquer their fears and enjoy the thrill of adventure, is a delicate balancing act. Cue protective gear like ankle braces.
Broken bones, sprains, strains, scrapes and bruising are to be expected for any child that’s serious about sport, whether the activity runs on trend or considered extreme. That’s why protective equipment (such as ankle braces, wrist braces or knee pads) help moms and dads breathe a sigh of relief when dropping their kids off at soccer practice, the mountain biking track or a skateboard park.
3 Convincing reasons to invest in an ankle brace for your kids:
#1 To prevent injury
From a biomechanical perspective, the ankle supports 1.5 times your body weight while standing or walking and this increases to up to 8 times your body weight while running.
For sports such as skateboarding, BMX or mountain biking – with all the pushing, popping and awkward landings – the rider’s ankles are expected to perform above and beyond their natural capabilities. For basketball, hockey or soccer players, the quick cuts and swift changes in direction cause athletes’ ankles to be prone to stress and instability.
According to stats from The National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics, in the US, about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports with over 3.5 million injuries each year.
“Almost one third of all injuries incurred in childhood are sports-related injuries. By far, the most common are sprains and strains,” according to Stanford Medicine.
These numbers may seem scary, but parents can equip their children with protective sports gear, such as ankle braces, to shield them from some injuries (although this safety equipment is obviously not going to prevent a fall or collision).
#2 To rehabilitate existing injuries
Ankle braces are commonly prescribed to prevent recurrent ankle injuries, where children have previously sprained or strained their ankles.
This form of protective gear helps to lessen the severity of the injury and keeps kids protected on the sports field or off-road track for longer without incurring further damage to their ankles.
The non-bulky, sleek design of an ankle brace such as the Space Brace Ankle Brace 2.0 makes it a quality option for young skateboarders, wakeboarders, football players, mountain bikers and other extreme sports enthusiasts.
#3 To give you (and them) peace of mind
Worrying is often the default mode of moms and dads when it comes to their kids. Your heart skips a beat when your precious angel spins in mid-air at the skatepark or speeds downhill on the MTB track.
These natural instincts of parents cannot be altered, but adding protective gear – such as a helmet or ankle brace to your child’s sports kit – can give parents a small measure of comfort.
Your daredevil offspring give off the impression that they have no fear. But it can take just one serious accident or fall to cause serious long term damage or change their attitude to the sport.
While you don’t want your child taking life-threatening risks, calculated ones are often important for gaining confidence, conquering fear and embracing the adrenaline rush that make extreme sports so appealing.