Have you ever thought about the fact that while knee bracing keeps advancing in terms of design and materials, ankle bracing advancement is stagnant? The only difference between the first lace-up (which was introduced over a century ago) and the lace-ups of today is a figure-8 strap has been added.

For this reason, some athletic trainers have started to rethink the use of a lace-up design that restricts non-injury range of motion, loses support rapidly, collects bacteria, stinks and is a pain to fit. Athletic trainers would never recommend a lace-up knee brace, which is why they are now rethinking why they would recommend a lace-up ankle brace. However, if not a lace-up ankle brace, then what is the best option for ankle injury prevention or mild/moderate ankle instability?

Athletic trainers tend to learn early on that the brace we prefer the athlete to wear and the ankle brace they will actually wear might be two different things. Take semi-rigid, hinged braces as an example – we see these ankle braces as providing more long-lasting ankle support, but the athlete sees them as being big, bulky and uncomfortable.

This leaves athletic trainer’s stuck between using an outdated and ineffective lace-up ankle brace or insisting their athletes wear bulky and uncomfortable semi-rigid, hinged braces. Instead of settling for these decades-old technologies, they are starting to rethink their methodologies by adopting a new ankle brace technology that has significant appeal to both athletes and athletic trainers.

The latest ankle brace advancements have resulted in products that are comfortable and low-profile enough to satisfy the athlete while utilizing a hinged-cuff design that provides long-lasting ankle support to meet the requirements of the athletic trainer. So, what is this emerging ankle brace design that satisfies both the athlete and athletic trainer? It all starts with a thermoplastic elastomer resin.

You may not know the term “thermoplastic elastomer” but it could become your best friend at preventing and treating the ankle injury. Rethinking the ankle brace starts with rethinking the material the ankle brace is made from. Thermoplastic elastomer material, trademarked Performathane® by Ultra Ankle®, is used to form the soft shell of the Ultra Zoom performance ankle brace.  The Performathane soft shell reacts to body heat by form-fitting to the ankle for a comfortable custom-fit that athletes love. The hinged-cuff design of the Ultra Zoom restricts excessive inversion and rotation to help prevent both low and high (syndesmotic) ankle injuries. 

Rethinking ankle bracing also comes with rethinking the cost per season. A lace-up ankle brace will typically last only a high school sports season or less. The Ultra Zoom typically lasts three full sports seasons making your cost per season much lower. 

Every once in a while, we need to step back and rethink our bracing recommendations.  Innovation moves forward with new techniques, materials and designs providing better outcomes for athletes and athletic trainers.  At Ultra Ankle we keep advancing ankle bracing technology in order to perfect the best possible ankle brace for ankle injury prevention, chronic ankle instability and acute injury care.

Ultra Zoom

Help prevent ankle injuries all season long.

Ultra High-5

Reinforce the ankle after a history of multiple ankle injuries

Ultra CTS

Maximize stabilization to treat acute ankle injuries

A few weeks ago I was watching a press conference with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson who was commenting on how the ankle injury he sustained in the previous game was progressing.  When explaining his ankle situation the day after the injury he said the first thing he did was to take off the walking boot, because “You can’t play in a boot.” 

As athletic trainers we often use a walking boot to calm down a recently injured ankle, but we all know the sooner you transition out of a walking boot the better.  But the real question is, transition out of a walking boot to what?

What comes after wearing a walking boot is where athletic trainers earn their money.  The transition from the safety and security of a walking boot to the next phase of returning the athlete to competition is critical.  The ankle will need some sort of external ankle brace support because tape alone is not enough.  But what kind of ankle brace would provide a good transition from a walking boot? 

If the athlete has weight bearing pain, then you will need an ankle brace that unloads or offloads the ankle.  Meaning the brace will absorb most of the impact, not the sore ankle, thus reducing weight bearing pain.  Tape and lace-up supports have a soft bottom and cannot unload the ankle.  The ankle brace design that is the most efficient at unloading the ankle is a semi-rigid hinged-cuff ankle brace.  ‘Hinged-cuff’ means it’s a hinged ankle brace but with a cuff that encircles the posterior of the lower leg.  What makes this design the most effective is because you encircle the ankle/foot and lower leg in both the vertical and horizontal plane which provides a stable platform to absorb impact and control movement. 

Now that you solved the weight bearing pain issue, the next focus is providing sufficient ankle stability to secure the injured ankle and prevent further injury.  Yes, you can tape the ankle for stability, but tape loosens the longer you wear it.  We have ruled out lace-ups because they can’t unload the ankle.  Once again, a semi-rigid hinged-cuff ankle brace is the best option because it can provide more initial and long-lasting ankle support. Because the brace is hinged, it moves with normal ankle range of motion which keeps the straps securely in place maintaining long lasting ankle stabilization.  Every knee brace is designed upon that same principle.  Also, the cuff portion of the hinged-cuff design helps to restrict excessive ankle rotation which causes syndesmotic ankle injuries

To sum things up, when you come out of a boot it’s important to unload the ankle to reduce weight bearing pain and stabilize the lower leg and ankle to prevent further injury.  The hinged-cuff ankle brace design is the most effective when transitioning from a walking boot back to competition, because you can’t play in a walking boot.

Ultra Zoom

Help prevent ankle injuries all season long.

Ultra High-5

Reinforce the ankle after a history of multiple ankle injuries

Ultra CTS

Maximize stabilization to treat acute ankle injuries