PING: terpkristin (and/or anyone else with ankle problems)

[flere-imsaho]

So, as I noted in the "Are you in shape?" thread, I recently sprained my ankle while playing Ultimate Frisbee. Nothing was broken, but it was swollen pretty bad and the doctor has me resting it for 4-6 weeks before getting back into sports.

I do not routinely roll my ankles, but based on the severity of this incident, I'm considering getting an ankle brace for that leg, on the assumption that I'm more likely to roll it in the future and/or when I roll it the severity of the injury is likely to be more severe.

With that in mind, I have some questions:

1. Should I get an ankle brace?

2. Should I get two (for balance, to avoid the same issue with the other leg, for the bulk discounts, etc...)?

3. I note that a number of manufacturers sell braces of various grades, from basic support to "advanced" support (whatever that means). Are there particular types or "levels" of ankle brace for which I should be looking?

Thanks in advance, folks.

[Coffee Warlord]

I wore a real simple ankle brace for a while after heavily spraining my ankle playing soccer a couple years ago. Fairly cheap velcro contraption (ie a "soft" brace). It DOES help the first several weeks after you're back doing sports. I basically wore it for the remainder of the outdoor activity season, and I'll still dig it out if I'm playing soccer, just cause of how easy it is to roll an ankle playing soccer. No need for two though, in my opinion, and not really necessary when you're not playing high risk sports.

edit: And I'm well on my way to being the bionic man when it comes to sports. Knee brace on one leg, ankle brace on the other.

And as for the 'grades', well...frankly, I think just a simple one is the way to go. If you need one of those rigid, heavy duty ones, you prolly aren't ready to be back out yet.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

And as for the 'grades', well...frankly, I think just a simple one is the way to go. If you need one of those rigid, heavy duty ones, you prolly aren't ready to be back out yet.

I'll take it further. If you need a brace of that magnitude, it's time to take up poker to occupy your competitive nature. A soft brace should be plenty good enough.

[flere-imsaho]

So, how the heck does one of those "soft" braces really help keep you from rolling your ankle again?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

So, how the heck does one of those "soft" braces really help keep you from rolling your ankle again?

It doesn't. It just gives it support so you don't roll it nearly as far as you would without the brace. It's similar to a tape job by a trainer. If you can't play a sport with just a soft brace, you probably shouldn't be playing. People assume that those heavy duty braces will keep them from getting injured and that's simply not the case. You can still reinjure yourself even with a metal brace.

Having said that, I play in a basketball rec league where numerous 40+ men play the sport with monsterous braces. I'm sure their doctor appreciate the increased business.

[flere-imsaho]

OK, makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

[Bad-example]

I have an unstable ankle and have tried a few ankle braces over the years. The Amazon.com: Swede-O Ankle Lok Lace-Up Ankle Brace, with set of side stabilizer inserts, White: Sports & Outdoors Swede-O Ankle-Lok is my favorite. Very simple and offers much more stability than the velcro-type braces, but doesn't take long to lace up. (Lacing is key and will take you a while to get proficient at it.)

This is a great brace for helping me get around but might not be what you are looking for.

[flere-imsaho]

Looks nice, but it may be overkill for my situation.

[cartman]

I use those lace up braces as well when I play soccer. Back in high school I dislocated both ankles about a month apart playing soccer. The doctor said I would have been better off just breaking them. If I do much of anything requiring ankle movement and don't wear the braces, I'm pretty much guaranteed spraining one or both ankles.

[DanGarion]

I like the lace up ankle brace myself. I've messed up both of my ankles a number of times playing various sports and the lace up one is awesome.

I think the one I have is by McDavid it's black and laces up higher then a typical midtop shoe.

Changed link

http://www.amazon.com/McDavid-Ultral...663665&sr=1-21

That one has velcro straps and laces, I really like using it when I need to.

[DanGarion]

And for just around the house when your ankle is tender the soft one that wraps around your ankle and foot once is nice, I had to use one of those after talking a fall down some stairs and nearly busting my ankle, thank god for my work boots.

http://www.amazon.com/Tru-fit-Adjust...663590&sr=1-14

[Coffee Warlord]

Amazon.com: Mueller Soccer Ankle Support- Black Only: Sports & Outdoors

That's actually the one I have. Works real well, and as an added bonus, throwing it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes and then putting it on does wonders for the swelling.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by cartman

The doctor said I would have been better off just breaking them.

Ahahaha....



Thanks again for the advice, folks. Since this incident sounds like it wasn't as serious as most of yours', and since I don't have a chronic problem (yet), it looks like I'll be OK with a basic one, for now. I might try one of the McDavid "Level 1" ones.

[terpkristin]

Well, since my opinion was asked.

Any foot/ankle ORTHOPAEDIC specialist (podiatrists might recommend something different but all the ones I've met are quacks so I refuse to listen to them) will tell you that the best brace is Aircast (pure stirrup style) if you're still not active and Aircast ("sport" with extra ATF strap and better compression) if you are. The second one is what my 2 best ankle surgeons put me into after my various surgeries (best meaning 1 was well-known in the area and the other is world-renowned).

I hate them both.

When I have ankle flare-ups now (and sadly, they're coming more often, I'm actually going back to my surgeon on July 13th), I prefer to use this one: Purchase The ASO now! (a lace-up style with extra strapping).

Both surgeons and all my therapists say that the one I like is nowhere near as good as the Aircast one they WANT me to wear (which I still have and use every now and then), but I like it better because it's a lot less bulky and fits better in my shoes.

Regardless of if you go for bracing, you may want to start doing some sort of exercises (range of motion--making the alphabet, circles, etc--and strengthening) to help build up the muscles that support your ankle. Once you sprain it, you've stretched out the ligaments and you have higher likelihood for further issues or spraining it more easily in the future.

Also, for my ankle swelling and flare-ups or to prevent my left one from rolling, the soft "wrap style" ones do NOTHING for me. Your mileage may vary, though, my ankles are shot (at this point I can't tell which is my good one--the one that's fused and therefore can't roll anymore but still flares AND hurts with the hardware or the one that has had no surgeries but rolls when I'm walking on flat, even ground).

Like cartman, though, I would've been better off breaking my ankles. I tore all 4 major ankle ligaments completely through and 3 reconstructions didn't take (and also caused further tearing of the tendons they used for the graft in the first reconstruction). In part, though, that's related to my genetic disorder.

Anyway. If you want to do what the doc would recommend, go for the Aircast Sport or whatever it's called. Otherwise a lace-up with strapping is what I use and find works best.

/tk

[sterlingice]

The one really stupid thing I'll add is that over the past few years I've taken to playing all sports including just running in high tops. I don't know if that hurts my knees or anything else more. But it was a simple way to keep ankle injuries down for me as the taller shoes made it a lot harder to roll my ankle.

SI

[flere-imsaho]

So, why is that stupid?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

So, why is that stupid?

I don't know if there's a lick of medical basis behind it.

SI