We understand what sports medicine professionals want because we’re sports medicine professionals ourselves. You want braces that are well-thought out and highly-functional, injury-specific, and made with durable high-quality materials.
Rick Peters, a certified athletic trainer, has been developing ankle bracing technology for 35 years. He has 18 patents on hinged and hinged-cuff ankle brace designs. We don’t say that to impress you, but to impress upon you that Ultra Ankle bracing solutions were created by someone with enough experience to ensure that each brace is well-designed, thoroughly field-tested, and functionally sound.
As an AT, the first question I would ask if I were evaluating a new ankle brace technology would be, “why should I recommend these to my athletes or patients over what I’m currently using?”
The answer is simple. Your athlete or patient can benefit from an Ultra Ankle brace because each brace is designed to treat a specific ankle condition. You wouldn’t wear a running shoe to play basketball, and you wouldn’t prescribe a lace-up brace to treat an acute ankle injury. At Ultra Ankle, we have designed three braces specifically for ankle injury prevention, chronic instability, and acute ankle injuries. All of our ankle braces are made in the USA in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Almost all ankle braces are designed to help prevent excessive ankle inversion; however, Ultra Ankle braces are designed with a hinged cuff to provide rotational stability and help restrict both excessive inversion and rotation as a way to treat both low and high ankle injuries.
Ultra Ankle braces are made from Performathane – an advanced material that uses body heat to take the shape of the joint. This customized fit after the break-in period is why the Ultra Zoom and upper cuff portion of the Ultra CTS are extremely comfortable and much more effective at controlling excessive joint movement.
Ankle unloading can be accomplished when an ankle brace absorbs a portion of the impact from walking and running that would normally be transferred to your sore, injured ankle. The Ultra CTS is used extensively in sports and post-surgery situations when the reduction of pain is necessary to promote early activity after injury.
Recommended for
Prevention/Sports
0-1 Previous Ankle Injury
Support Level
Mild
Restriction VS Mobility
Restricts excessive ankle turning while maintaining moderate mobility
Reduces Weight Bearing Pain
No
Design
Lace-up with Figure-8 Straps
Shell
Nylon Fabric
Form-Fitting
Yes
Price
$31.95
Recommended for
Prevention/Sports
0-4 Previous Ankle Injuries
Support Level
Moderate
Restriction VS Mobility
Restricts excessive ankle turning and twisting while maintaining very high mobility
Reduces Weight Bearing Pain
No
Design
Hinged-Cuff
Shell
Flexible Performathane
Form-Fitting
Yes
Price
$61.95
The only ankle brace built for acute injuries
The Ultra CTS does two things better than any other ankle brace – its taller profile provides maximum lower leg compression and stabilization while also unloading the ankle to reduce weight bearing pain. You can use the Ultra CTS for in-game ankle injuries, to transition from a walking boot, or as an alternative to a walking boot.
Your athletes will play better and play more, losing less time to injuries with the Ultra Zoom. The Performathane® soft shell forms to the ankle, allowing it to move in all the natural ways while helping to prevent any excessive movement that may cause an injury. The Ultra Zoom is on the ankle in seconds, protects continuously for hours and lasts for multiple seasons.
The Ultra High-5 is a semi-rigid hinged cuff ankle brace that helps restrict excessive inversion and rotation to treat both low ankle high ankle injuries. Designed for non-acute chronic ankle instability, the Ultra High-5 will fit either ankle. Position the extended footplate beneath the shoe’s insole for comfortable ankle control for extended periods of time.
“We had success when we used the Ultra CTS brace – especially with the high ankle sprains. It is also useful as a transition out of a walking boot. The only complaint we had was the length of the one strap – which you graciously provided us with X-Long straps. Other than that – no problems.”
Pro Football Athletic Trainer
“Most all our lineman were in the Ultra Zoom brace for practice. We give them the choice to tape or brace for games and I know our Center and a few others wanted to wear them in the game. No complaints or issues with the product. Player compliance in practice speaks volumes for your quality product.”
ACC College Football Athletic Trainer
“Any time we have a guy who needs extra ankle support that a regular ankle brace will not provide, we switch them to one of yours. We had a guy or two consistently wear one throughout the season. It took some getting used to, but they preferred it because of the stability. We’ve used both the Zoom and the CTS.”
Pac 12 College Football Athletic Trainer:
“Your product is great. Several the guys used them straight out of the packaging and had no complaints. We only had one player who we needed to heat up the brace and make the bottom/sole wider. He is also our biggest lineman by far. 90% of our lineman used the Ultra Zoom. 2 of our players used the Ultra CTS due to a history of sprained ankles and we wanted to give them a bit more support. Overall our players are fans of the product.”
ACC College Football Athletic Trainer:
“One of our best football players sustained a high ankle sprain during our semi state playoff game. He had 7 days to get him healthy enough to play in our state title game. We fit him with an Ultra CTS ankle brace and he was able to compete and help our football team win a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! Without the CTS brace, it was highly unlikely that he would’ve been able to step onto the field the following week, let alone compete in the state championship game.”
High School Athletic Trainer
“The Ultra CTS braces worked out great. One of our linemen wore the brace most of the season and loved it. Feedback is all positive. It worked well for us and he felt confident and comfortable in the brace. Couldn’t have asked for a better product. “
Pac 12 College Football Athletic Trainer
No. Athletes today, especially at the high school level, may have a large shoe size but small ankle size because their ankle is not fully developed yet. That’s why we recommend strongly using ankle circumference to determine brace size. All Ultra Ankle braces will fit either a left or right ankle.
Yes. Many NFL players wear Ultra Ankle braces; however, they typically wear their braces with the addition of an X-Long strap. The L/XL Ultra Zoom and Ultra CTS currently come with X-Long straps. Additional straps are available for purchase.
As long as your athletic shoe has a traditional tongue-and-laces design, you should be fine. You just may just need to loosen your shoe’s laces enough to fit the brace inside. Some athletic shoes have a single upper that is more like a sleeve than a traditional shoe. These are difficult to use with any type of ankle brace inside, but it can be done. If you’re having issues fitting the ankle braces in your athlete’s shoes, give us a call for some some tips and tricks on how to make it work.
Do you still have questions about our ankle braces, the technology behind them, or why you should prescribe them to your patients and/or athletes? Our certified athletic trainers are available to answer your specific questions via email or phone.