• Hard Ankle Brace

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Why Do I Need This Ankle Brace for Sprains & PTTD?

An ankle sprain is a common injury, with an estimated 25,000 injuries occurring each day, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. A roll, twist or awkward turn of the ankle can either tear or stretch the ligaments of the ankle that are needed for stabilizing the joints and making sure your ankle does not move past its normal range of motion.

When participating in many sports, athletes are constantly jumping, twisting, and moving from side to side very quickly. These repetitive motions tend to happen quickly, causing sprains or other injuries to your ankle. This brace can help athletes recover from those sprains and strains, but it can also help prevent these injuries as well.

In addition to sprains, this ankle stabilizer splint can also help you manage posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD). Posterior tibial tendonitis is a condition caused by changes in the tendon, impairing its ability to support your foot arch. This condition results in flat feet, causing your foot and toes to turn outward and your ankle to roll inward, which can eventually lead to eversion ankle sprains. Fortunately, this hinged ankle support has a non-bulky, semi-rigid shell to help keep your ankle from rolling in or out, protecting against pronation and supination movements while allowing normal ankle function.

Twisted, Rolled, Sprained, or Fractured Ankle: What’s the Difference?

The difference between a fractured ankle and a sprained ankle is that a break, crack, or chip in your bone is necessary to have a broken ankle. A sprained ankle refers to a torn ligament.

In severe cases, both an ankle fracture and sprain can occur at the same time. This can happen in several ways:

• Rolling your ankle
• Twisting your ankle side to side
• Extreme flexing or hyperextending of your ankle joint
• Severe force applied to your ankle joint caused by jumping down from a high level

Normally, you don’t need to visit the doctor with a minor ankle sprain. In most cases, an ankle sprain can be treated via conservative treatments, such as taking over-the-counter medicine, engaging in physical therapy to improve the strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance of the ankle once the swelling has subsided, and wearing some sort of ankle support to prevent reinjury.

Make sure to call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following signs or symptoms of a severe ankle sprain or fracture:

• Ankle is misshapen beyond normal swelling
• You heard a crack or noise when the injury occurred
• Pain is uncontrolled despite use of over the counter medication
• You’re unable to walk without severe pain or wiggle your toes
• Your ankle is not improving after several days

Ask your doctor about using this stabilizer for a mild sprain or weak ankle recovery. In severe cases, he or she may recommend a walking boot, cast, or surgery.

Hard Ankle Brace

5 Reasons Why People Love This Ankle Brace for Shoes

1. Anatomically-Contoured Footplate Provides Comfortable Support

   This stirrup for bad ankles has an anatomically designed footplate, which is specific to the right or left foot to maximize user comfort and ankle stability. The footplate is contoured to the shape of your foot so that it supports the arch. The neutral arch position also encourages speedy healing of the soft tissues in your ankle or foot.

2. Rigid, Plastic Shell Offers Extra Protection Against Ankle Supination & Pronation

   The thin plastic shell offers maximum support and protection, withstanding the impacts and demands of competitive play, so you can play without fear of ankle inversion (supination) and eversion (pronation) sprains or reinjury.

3. Bilateral Hinges Promote Natural, Non-Restricted Up & Down Movement

   Bilateral hinges offer control of the first ray, midtarsal, and subtalar joints, while still allowing for free and easy up / down movement (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion), so you can continue running and playing your favorite sports, such as volleyball, basketball, football, cheerleading, soccer, and more, without restriction. Check out more ankle stirrups and hinged ankle braces.

4. Velcro Adjustment Straps & Neoprene Padding Provide a Comfortable, Custom Fit

   Premium-grade neoprene padding provides a more comfortable fit and improved durability compared to the foam pads found in other hard braces. The medical-grade Velcro straps are 10 times stronger than standard, retail-grade Velcro for a secure fit and all-day support.

5. Low-Profile, Lightweight Stabilizer Fits Easily into Most Laced Shoes

   Designed without excess weight and bulk, allowing the low-profile ankle brace to fit inside most tennis or laced shoes. Its open-heel design improves the fit, helping prevent pinching and discomfort often associated with closed-heel ankle braces and lace-up ankle guards.

What’s the Difference Between an AFO for Foot Drop & This Hinged Ankle Stabilizer?

The goal of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is to stabilize your foot and ankle, preventing plantar flexion and providing toe clearance while walking to correct foot drop. Similar to the Arizona and Richie types of braces, our articulated ankle stabilizer is intended to prevent sideways movement, while still allowing for dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.

If you’re in need of drop foot relief, check out our soft AFO for foot drop or dorsal and plantar night splints.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Rigid Ankle Support for Sprains

• What conditions / injuries does this rigid ankle brace treat? Designed to provide gentle ankle immobilization and protection from ligament damage, sprains, rolls, instabilities, PTTD, peroneal tendonitis, and arthritis.
• How does it work? The hinged ankle support provides maximum support and rigidity to stabilize your ankle and prevent sideways movement.
• Who can wear this brace? Available in sizes ranging from XS to M, fitting a wide variety of adult men and women, as well as some teenagers and kids.
• What size should I get? To choose your size, view our sizing graphic in the images above.
• When should I wear it? Wear anytime to promote ankle stability and prevent further injury while participating in sports or normal movements, such as driving. Ask your doctor before wearing this brace while sleeping.
• What is it made of? This brace is made of polypropylene plastic shell, padded neoprene lining, and spandex / nylon blended straps. All components are latex free.
• How tall is this ankle? About 10.5”.
• How do I put it on? Apply comfortable absorbent sock, ideally calf-height. Loosen Velcro straps. Position footplate inside sneaker or lace-up shoe. Slip foot through brace and into shoe. Tighten front and back straps to secure. If shoe has removable insole, place footplate under for additional comfort.
• Washing Instructions: Remove padded liner from ankle brace. Hand wash liner in warm water with mild soap. Allow liner to air dry completely before reapplying. Wipe plastic shell with a damp cloth.
• Other features:
• Natural, non-invasive fix for many sources of ankle pain
• Polypropylene uprights provide lightweight protection without sacrificing support
• Open-heel design prevents pinching and discomfort
• Color: Black.

So you just sprained your ankle, Healing ankle ligaments can take up to six weeks. You need to stabilize your ankle while it heals. The best way to stabilize the ankle is with a rigid ankle brace. The rigid ankle brace will provide maximum support for the injury. Rigid ankle braces can be worn to support the ankle, and allow you to recover faster. Braces are the most popular treatment to help reduce strain on the ankle.

I had my first major ankle sprain when I was in high school playing basketball. If the ankle ligaments do not heal properly, as mine did, you will end up with instability in the ankle. Ankle sprains were the most common injury in US college student-athletes, with men’s and women’s basketball having the highest rates. Athletes were 3 times more likely to sprain their ankle in competition compared to practice. Wearing a brace will help support these muscles and the ankle which are now more susceptible to injuries.

Adobe after effects fire plugin. If your reading this post, you may have already hurt your ankle once, or in my case multiple times. I have injured both my ankles several times. My injuries have occurred in several different activities, with the first time being playing basketball in high school, which was pretty severe. The last time I injured my ankle severely was when walking down the street and stepped in a whole along a sidewalk. Each time, a part of the healing treatment is to wear a brace. I have worn many kinds of braces in my healing processes.

What is a Rigid Ankle Brace?

So rigid ankle braces aren’t your run of the mile ankle brace you can buy down at the local pharmacy. Rigid ankle braces were designed to provide a maximum amount of support for the ankle during physical activities. Rigid ankle braces are used in many sports but are usually found on many volleyball and basketball players.

A rigid ankle brace will allow the ankle to move up and down while keeping the ankle from rolling in or out. Most rigid braces have plastic inserts on either side of the ankle to prevent inversion or eversion. Rigid ankle braces are made by many companies such as Active Ankle, Don Joy, Mueller, Zamst and Ultra.

Types of Rigid Ankle Braces

There are two types of rigid ankle brace: lace-up braces and stirrup braces.

• Rigid lace-up braces feature plastic inserts that press against the sides of the ankle to prevent it from rolling inward (inversion) or outward (eversion).
• Rigid stirrup braces have a hinged design that allows for dorsiflexion and plantarflexion, but they also feature extra straps that wrap around the ankle for added support.

When Should I Use a Rigid Ankle Brace?

Rigid ankle braces are geared toward activities that will require lots of jumping. You will see rigid ankle braces on many volleyball and basketball players. Some volleyball leagues even require the use of rigid ankle braces, because of the likely hood of the ankle getting injured. Due to the frequency of jumping these types of athletes are more likely to sprain there ankle. Using a rigid ankle brace should provide a level of protection for the ankle that more substantial than a regular lace up or sleeve type ankle brace.

So what if you have already hurt your ankle or you have hurt your ankle many times? Rigid ankle braces are good for this as well because it will keep you from reinjuring the ankle during recovery due to extra ankle protection. Rigid ankle braces can provide a sense of confidence as well. Since a rigid brace is so much more protective, it will allow a person who has an ankle injury to feel better about attempting to return to the activity and help the injury heal faster.

Benefits of Rigid Ankle Braces

Rigid Ankle braces offer maximum support and ankle protection. The braces are rigid which keep the ankle from turning inward or outward.

• Rigid braces offer the highest level of preventative support
• Anatomical bilateral and unilateral hinges allow for unencumbered forward/back and vertical mobility
• Assists in faster rehabilitation after injury
• Superior level of protection without sacrificing comfort

These braces are ideal for individuals with weak ankles that have experienced injuries in the past.

Downsides of Rigid Ankle Braces

As with all things, there are some not so great things about rigid ankle braces.

• Rigid ankle braces tend to be more expensive than other types of braces.
• They don’t always fit in your shoes.
• Sometimes rigid ankle braces can become uncomfortable after wearing them for long periods of time.
• These types of braces can sometimes be hard to put on and get the correct fitment.

Are Rigid Ankle Braces for Maximum Support?

Well, the answer, of course, is yes. Rigid ankle braces are used by top-level athletes in basketball and volleyball. If you have injured your ankle and are in need of brace that will provide the best type of protection, then look no further than a rigid ankle brace. These braces are great for people with weak ankles that have experienced injuries in the past, such as myself. If you are involved in an activity that requires you to jump frequently, and you have weak ankles, then you definitely need to check out a rigid ankle brace.

I wish at some point in my youth I would have purchased a rigid ankle brace. I am sure my ankles would have thanked me many times over.

If you are having ankle pain due to a sprain, it is important to see a doctor for a checkup. You deserve to feel better and get back to your day-to-day activities. With the right care and treatment plan, you will be back on health feet in no time.

Other Resources

• If you have just recently injured your ankle you might want to check out my post on RICE.
• Have you ever used KT Tape? Read KT Tape for Plantar Fasciitis Review. I have personally used KT Tape to help with my own ankle pain and Achilles tendonitis.
• Do you know what a TENS or EMS can do for your pain? Check out TENS or EMS for Ankle Pain

References