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Ankle osteoarthritis (OA) can be a very painful condition that can limit your activity level causing a negative impact on your quality of life. Ankle OA occurs when the articular cartilage in the ankle has worn away resulting in bone-on-bone irritation.

Most often, the OA condition is a result of previous ankle trauma such as ankle sprains or fractures. Although ankle sprains or fractures might fully heal, the trauma can eventually lead to joint deterioration and ultimately OA. Underlying medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis can also be debilitating to the ankle joint.  

For the most part, ankle osteoarthritis is a result of wear and tear on the joint from years of activities. OA does increase with age causing the ankle cartilage to wear thin providing less cushioning between the bones.

SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT

Symptoms of ankle osteoarthritis include:

  • inflammation and swelling around the ankle joint.
  • ankle pain and stiffness.
  • pain when standing, walking, or bearing weight.

When it comes to treating your ankle osteoarthritis, your doctor may recommend several options:

  • Anti-inflammatory drugs to help reduce joint swelling and pain.
  • Physical therapy to aide in reducing joint inflammation and regaining ankle range of motion.
  • The use of a specialized ankle brace designed to reduce weight bearing pain and help prevent excessive ankle movement that can cause further joint deterioration.

THE BEST ANKLE BRACES FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN

While long term physical therapy can help reduce pain associated with OA, the best option to reduce bone on bone irritation that causes joint pain is to wear a professional ankle brace designed to reduce impact to the ankle.

Most ankle braces are designed just to help prevent excessive ankle turning which causes injuries to ligaments. However, to treat OA you need an ankle brace that not only helps to prevent excessive ankle turning but will also “unload” or “offload” the ankle as well. “Unloading” means the ankle brace will absorb some of the impact from standing or walking that would normally be transferred through the ankle causing joint irritation and pain.

Our Ultra CTS (Custom Treatment System) ankle brace is designed for OA sufferers who need relief from the bone on bone irritation which is causing their OA. The Ultra CTS works by absorbing a portion of the impact created from standing or walking and then applies that impact “or energy” to the lower leg thus bypassing the sore ankle.

Less impact means less pain and joint irritation.

Since ankle OA is mainly caused by a history of ankle trauma which could include multiple ankle sprains or fractures, it stands to reason the ankle may be unstable which is contributing to wear and tear on the joint. The Ultra CTS will stabilize and firm up the lower leg and ankle which will help control unwanted joint movement which causes excessive irritation and pain. Since the Ultra CTS has a hinge, full up and down ankle range of motion is encouraged to help keep the muscles strong and the joint flexible.

With ankle osteoarthritis the goal is to reduce joint irritation, so the condition doesn’t worsen. Wearing the Ultra CTS is a great way to reduce or slow down the effects of OA so you can maintain your normal daily activities.

If you have any questions about ankle braces for your ankle osteoarthritis, please leave us a comment below or send one of our certified athletic trainers a message.

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Ultra Zoom

Help prevent ankle injuries all season long.
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Ultra High-5

Reinforce the ankle after a history of multiple ankle injuries
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Ultra CTS

Maximize stabilization to treat acute ankle injuries
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Title: Experience Enhanced Mobility and Protection with Ultra Ankle’s Hinged Cuff Ankle Braces

 

It’s 2023 and we’re more active than ever. Whether it’s professional sports, fitness regimens, or simply daily activities, our ankles play a vital role in supporting our movement. This makes them susceptible to injuries, emphasizing the need for an optimal protective solution: Ultra Ankle’s proprietary hinged-cuff ankle braces.

As per recent health statistics, ankle injuries make up approximately 15% of all sporting injuries globally. Athletes are continually seeking effective preventive measures to reduce their downtime and get back into the game faster. That’s where Ultra Ankle’s hinged-cuff or “Limitless Performance Series” ankle braces come into play.

Unlike most traditional ankle braces that restrict mobility, because they bind the ankle in the neutral position, Ultra Ankle’s hinged-cuff design allows for unlimited natural ankle range of motion to enhance performance and keep the muscles strong. The Limitless Performance Series braces restrict excessive ankle turning and twisting to help prevent both low and high ankle injuries.

Innovations in the field have led to these braces being lighter, more comfortable, and more effective than ever before. Because the braces work to reduce the excessive movement that can lead to ankle injuries, it makes them a top choice for athletes looking for preventive solutions, as well as those on the road to recovery.

For active individuals or athletes who have previously suffered an ankle injury, the risk of re-injury is a pressing concern. However, according to recent studies, wearing a hinged-cuff ankle brace can decrease the odds of re-injury by approximately 50%. This is significant when considering the peace of mind and safety it brings to those wearing the brace.

Not only for athletes, but these braces also cater to individuals of all ages with varying activity levels. They provide support and stability for those with weakened or imbalanced ankles, thereby reducing the risk of falls and accidents. The Ultra CTS is the only brace available that helps reduce weight bearing pain in Osteoarthritis patients. The brace “unloads” the ankle and reduces bone-on-bone irritation and pain.

Ultra Ankle’s hinged-cuff ankle braces are a blend of advanced technology, innovative design, and medical-grade materials that provide unparalleled comfort and security. Whether you’re in a high-impact sport, like volleyball or football, or need additional ankle support for everyday activities. Ultra Ankle braces offer innovative solutions for ankle protection.

Invest in your health and mobility today with Ultra Ankle’s hinged-cuff ankle braces. These braces are built for ultimate performance and are designed to adapt to the natural shape of your ankle, offering a secure fit, incredible support, and optimal mobility. Take a proactive step towards ankle injury prevention and enhanced performance with Ultra Ankle.

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Introduction:

When it comes to ankle injuries, two common treatment options have historically been ankle fusion and ankle braces. However, medical advancements and evolving practices have brought about new insights and options for ankle injury management. In this article, we will explore the updated information regarding ankle fusion, ankle braces, and the innovative Ultra Ankle Ultra CTS to help you make an informed decision about the best course of action for your ankle injury.

Ankle Fusion: A Brief Overview

Ankle fusion, also known as arthrodesis, is a surgical procedure that aims to eliminate motion in the ankle joint. Traditionally, it has been recommended for patients with severe arthritis or those who have not responded to conservative treatments. The procedure involves fusing the bones in the ankle joint together using screws, plates, or rods, thereby reducing pain but also sacrificing ankle mobility.

The Evolution of Ankle Braces

Ankle braces have long been used as a non-surgical alternative for ankle injuries. They provide external support to the ankle joint, aiding in stabilization and preventing excessive movement that can lead to further damage. Over time, advancements in design and materials have significantly improved the effectiveness of ankle braces.

Updated Insights on Ankle Fusion

While ankle fusion remains a viable option for certain cases, advancements in ankle brace technology have reshaped the landscape of ankle injury management. Ankle fusion is a permanent solution that eliminates joint motion and can be effective in relieving pain. However, it also restricts ankle mobility, making activities such as running, jumping, and pivoting more challenging. Additionally, ankle fusion requires a lengthy recovery period and carries the inherent risks associated with surgery.

The Advantages of Ankle Braces

Modern ankle braces offer several advantages over ankle fusion in the management of ankle injuries. They provide external support to the ankle joint while allowing controlled range of motion, thus preserving mobility. Ankle braces are non-invasive, meaning they do not require surgery and carry fewer risks. They can be easily adjusted, customized, and removed as needed, allowing for greater flexibility during rehabilitation. Furthermore, ankle braces can provide ongoing protection, reducing the risk of re-injury and facilitating a quicker return to daily activities and sports.

Introducing the Ultra Ankle Ultra CTS

One notable innovation in the field of ankle braces is the Ultra Ankle Ultra CTS (Custom Treatment System). The Ultra CTS combines the benefits of external ankle support with customizable features that cater to individual needs. This advanced ankle brace is designed to provide superior stability, comfort, and performance. Its adjustable multi-point strapping system was designed to reduce weight-bearing pain and “unload or offload” the ankle. This means the ankle brace will absorb some of the impact from standing or walking that would normally cause joint irritation. The brace distributes this “energy” to the lower leg, bypassing the ankle joint.

Less impact means less pain and ankle joint irritation.

Since ankle arthritis is mainly caused by a history of ankle trauma, which could include multiple ankle sprains or fractures, it stands to reason the ankle may be unstable which is contributing to the joint wear and tear. The Ultra CTS will stabilize and firm up the lower leg and ankle – helping control unwanted joint movement that results in excessive irritation and pain. Since the Ultra CTS has a hinge, full up and down ankle range of motion is encouraged to help keep the muscles strong and the joint flexible.

Choosing the Right Option for You

When it comes to ankle injuries, it is crucial to consult with a qualified medical professional to determine the best treatment approach for your specific condition. While ankle fusion may still be appropriate for severe arthritis or specific cases, ankle braces, such as the Ultra Ankle Ultra CTS, have become a popular and effective choice for many patients due to their versatility, non-invasive nature, and advanced features. They offer improved mobility, reduced risks, and ongoing protection.

Ultra Zoom

Help prevent ankle injuries all season long.
Shop Now

Ultra High-5

Reinforce the ankle after a history of multiple ankle injuries
Shop Now

Ultra CTS

Maximize stabilization to treat acute ankle injuries
Shop Now
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While ankle braces fit comfortably in most traditional athletic shoes or sneakers with a tongue and laces, there are some shoes that don’t work well with braces.

If you purchase an ankle brace and can’t fit it inside your shoe, or its uncomfortable while you’re wearing it with your shoes, it may be due to the design or style of the shoe and not the ankle brace. For that reason, it’s a good idea to know up front which shoes you should avoid when wearing your ankle braces.

The style of sneaker that works best with ankle braces have a traditional tongue and laces design so you can spread out the opening of the shoe and easily insert the ankle brace. Low-top athletic shoes work best with ankle braces because they don’t apply undue pressure over your ankle bones like a mid- or high-top shoe will.

Athletic shoe styles are changing all the time. It’s important to know how these new styles impact the fit of an ankle brace inside the shoe. In recent years athletic shoe companies have been introducing sneakers that deviate from the traditional shoe design. Rather than having a traditional tongue and laces, this new style of shoe has a collar or sleeve design that makes it almost impossible to fit the brace in the shoe. These shoes typically are of the mid- or high-top design and are hardest to fit an ankle brace inside.

We have found that our customers with these newer types of shoes can usually wear a hinged ankle brace if their foot size is above a women’s size 9 or a men’s size 7 – it all depends on how large the opening to the sleeve of the shoe is.

For those without a traditional tongue and laces design, a smaller shoe size, or a high-top shoe a lace-up ankle brace will most likely be the best option for you. The Ultra 360 locks your ankle in place while the figure-8 straps provide 360º of ankle support to help prevent excessive ankle rolling. The multi-adjustable design allows you to customize your level of support.

Athletes

If you’re an athlete who is planning to wear an ankle brace and you want it to fit in the shoe properly and be comfortable to wear for long periods of time stick with a traditional, low-top sneaker designed for the sport you play.

No high-top shoe is going to prevent an injury in sports that have a higher risk of ankle sprains (such as basketball or volleyball) where the mechanism of injury is coming down from a jump and landing on an opposing players foot at a high velocity. Therefore, we recommend wearing a low top athletic shoe with a high performance ankle brace, like the Ultra Zoom, which is designed to help prevent ankle injuries or lessen the severity should an injury occur. The Ultra Zoom will fit easily in a traditional low top sneaker and provide a comfortable fit all season long. 

Conventional wisdom is that high-top athletic shoes or tall work boots can support the ankle more effectively than low tops primarily because the high-top shoe is higher and therefore has more leverage to grab the ankle and hold it in place. However, todays high-top sneakers are not your parent’s high-tops.

These new high-top designs use flexible and stretchable materials with the goal of being comfortable to wear for long periods of time. And if the material stretches it’s probably not going to provide much in the way of ankle support. While high-top shoes are advertised to provide additional ankle support, the truth is that no shoe can support the joint and help prevent ankle injuries like an ankle brace can. 

Tall Work Boots

Let’s say you are a construction worker and you suffer from ankle osteoarthritis, so you like to wear a sturdy work boot to help stabilize your ankle. Let’s say recently your ankle started hurting on the job site and you’re thinking about getting an ankle brace for additional support.

Two things happen when you try to wear an ankle brace in a tall work boot:

  1. The ankle brace is very difficult to fit inside your tall work boot, or
  2. If you get the brace to fit in the boot it may not be very comfortable. This happens after you lace up the boot, which pushes the sides of the brace against the ankle bones, potentially causing pain and irritation.

In general, we recommend a low-top work shoe where you can spread out the laces enough to easily fit the brace in the shoe. Since the sides of the shoe are below the joint  there is no potential for irritation over your ankle bones. A low-top work shoe combined with a good professional ankle brace can provide more ankle support than a tall work boot worn by itself by far.

For those looking for an ankle brace that will fit in a high-top work boot, the Ultra 360 Lace-up will be your best option. This flexible, fabric brace fits in almost any shoe – providing extra support and compression to help protect your ankle. 

If you have questions about which ankle brace would fit best inside your athletic shoes or work boots you can send one of our athletic trainers a message. They will be able to take a look at a photo of your shoe and help you determine the right ankle brace for your situation. 

Ultra Zoom

Help prevent ankle injuries all season long.
Shop Now

Ultra High-5

Reinforce the ankle after a history of multiple ankle injuries
Shop Now

Ultra CTS

Maximize stabilization to treat acute ankle injuries
Shop Now
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What is your go-to ankle brace for acute ankle injuries? Don’t have one? It turns out you’re not alone.

When it comes to bracing acute ankle injuries, many AT’s end up using a walking boot because they are lacking a sufficient ankle brace alternative. Seeing this void in the marketplace led the ATs at Ultra Ankle to develop the first ankle brace specifically designed to treat/brace acute ankle injuries – the Ultra CTS (Custom Treatment System).

With the Ultra CTS ankle brace we address the two features needed most when bracing acute ankle injuries – maximum ankle and lower leg stabilization combined with reducing weight bearing pain. 

Stabilizing the Ankle and Lower Leg

Let’s say your basketball player comes down from a rebound and lands on another player’s foot, potentially resulting in a grade two ankle sprain. Or your starting tackle gets his ankle rolled up on and now you’re treating his syndesmotic ankle injury. A typical plan of action is to put the player in a walking boot for a day or two to calm things down…but then what?

First things first, you must address the stability issue before the athlete can transition out of the walking boot.

The Ultra CTS has a dual hinged-cuff design that is taller than other braces to compress and stabilize the tibia and fibula. This upper cuff section is made of a flexible soft-shell material (Performathane) which allows the brace to securely encircle the lower leg and ankle providing maximum stability. Our proprietary Performathane® material is made of the highest quality thermoplastic resin – which means it is able to absorb the body heat of the athlete during activity to help it create a form-fitting, secure fit.

When it comes to recovering from an injury, the longer the athlete is in the walking boot the more their ankle strength and ROM are negatively impacted. For this reason, it’s important to have the Ultra CTS® acute injury ankle brace as a part of your transition protocol. With this ankle brace, athletes are able to transition back to activity much sooner and safer than if they went straight from a walking boot to no brace or a lace-up support.

Now, how do you address the weight bearing pain?

Reducing Weight Bearing Pain

The second unique feature of the Ultra CTS design is the ability to unload the ankle to reduce weight bearing pain. We designed the foot section of the Ultra CTS using a semi-rigid material that will absorb some of the impact and/or energy that would normally be directed into the sore and injured ankle. With this foot section in place, the energy bypasses the ankle and is applied to the lower leg. This reduces the impact to the sore ankle (resulting in the athlete feeling less pain) which means they can transition out of the walking boot to a fully functional ankle brace they can wear for the remainder of their rehabilitation.

At this point many athletes will opt to wear the Ultra CTS the remainder of the season because it’s comfortable and they don’t have any fear of reinjury. However, if the athlete would prefer a more mobile ankle brace, they can quickly detach the upper PerformaFit® upper cuff section to transition into a low-profile activity brace. Either way, you now have options when bracing and treating acute ankle injuries that will safely get your athletes back to full participation faster.

Treat In-Game Ankle Injuries

Aside from being an important part of your treatment and rehab protocol, the Ultra CTS is also widely used by collegiate and pro athletic trainers to treat in-game ankle injuries.

After an athlete suffers an in-game ankle injury, most of the time the only thing preventing them from returning to the game is their weight bearing pain. Tape and lace-ups cannot unload the ankle and reduce weight bearing pain – but the Ultra CTS can. Athletic trainers, especially in football, are consistently utilizing the Ultra CTS on in-game ankle injuries (when appropriate) to allow the player to return to competition during the same game.

Are you one of the many athletic trainers prepared for acute and/or in-game ankle injuries by having an Ultra CTS in your kit? If not, let us know what it would take to get you to try it out by sending us an email at [email protected] or leaving us a note in the comments below.

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Ultra Zoom

Help prevent ankle injuries all season long.
Shop Now

Ultra High-5

Reinforce the ankle after a history of multiple ankle injuries
Shop Now

Ultra CTS

Maximize stabilization to treat acute ankle injuries
Shop Now