A new study found that soccer players are more likely to sprain their ankle if one of their ankles is stronger than the other.
The study was helmed by researchers at the University of Athens in Greece. Researchers studied the strength and ankle stability of 100 professional Greek soccer players. The players were tracked over a 10 month period to see how many injured their ankles.
The results of the study showed that players who had a considerable difference in strength between their two feet were 90% more likely to injure one of their ankles, compared to those whose ankles were roughly the same strength.
This sort of ankle instability is all too common in soccer, as well as other endurance sports. With this study in mind, it’s important for athletes to strengthen their ankles and feet as evenly as possible.
“The results of this study are not surprising at all,” says Ankle Surgeon, Dr. Lance Silverman. “It’s the same thing we see over and over again in professional basketball and football players. When one ankle is unstable, the player will put more strength and confidence into the other ankle, often resulting in an overuse injury or a sprain.”
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