To find the right protection for a damaged, unstable ankle, you need to have a selection of different products with different functions. The need for support and stability changes depending on the intensity of the activities that you do daily. There are several ankle support braces, made with different designs, materials and stability profiles to meet the requirements for durability and comfort best.
To better understand what models are available, when to use them and when they work best, we will give an overview of different categories of ankle braces. If you browse an assortment of Your Best Brace, you will see a full range of carefully selected ankle supports with different stability profiles.
They are perfect for dealing with injuries but also if you need extra support at work or protection aid while playing your favourite sport. In the following lines, we will tell you a bit more about ankle braces and hopefully help you find the ideal solution for your needs.
Ankle Brace for Acute Injury
Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries in sports, but they also occur frequently every day in many cases. Accidents are often caused by uneven ground, poor shoes, miscarriage or work in demanding environments. The injuries usually occur on the outside of the ankle and often involve damage to the stabilizing ligaments.
They usually happen when the ankle steps outside its normal range of motion, which directly damages the stabilizing structures and the ligaments around the ankle.
The most common injury involves stretched outer ligaments on the exterior of the ankle. In case of heavy load or strong external force against the ankle, the ligaments can go off with often permanently impaired stability. In the event of an extensive ligament injury, the ankle swells with sharp but blanched and intense pain.
Emergency care is critical and should include right positioning, compression and cooling to most effectively prevent swelling and reduce acute bleeding.
The ankle supports are designed to stabilize the ankle in the best way possible and at the same time effectively counteract swelling over the joint. Consult your doctor to tell you the model for ideal ankle support that effectively assists in emergency care in the event of injury.
Most of the braces that you can find online are both easy to use and extremely effective in relieving pain. They are generally successful in reducing swelling and increasing the stability of the ankle quickly after an injury.
Ankle Brace for Everyday Use
Ankle braces for everyday use place extra high demands on agility, breathing properties and easy application in addition to proper support and stability. In general, everyday ankle braces are often simpler models with more comfortable support for the ankle, to best combine compression around the ankle with the stabilizing properties.
The compression counteracts swelling of the ankle while also being made of the same materials for more effortless stability and control.
An essential part of ankle support for everyday use is the thickness of the cover, the thicker the material, the warmer, and the harder it is to fit it inside tight shoes. Elasticated ankle support always has a thinner profile which allows for more extended periods in regular shoes without disturbing one’s usual pattern, scoop and experience.
The ankle braces for everyday use often provide the opportunity to adjust the support over the ankle and ensure compression and support similar to elastic wrap but take up much less space in the shoe.
In case of high instability in the ankle or a work environment that includes uneven substrates with heavy stress on the ankle, you may need more stable protection. That means products made of rigid materials with a significantly more effective stabilization.
If the working environment is on uneven ground, the working shoes need to be generally adapted to the ground more. Therefore you will need more stable ankle protection that usually takes a little more space in the shoe but works optimally for work shoes with lacing.
Ankle Brace for Sports
Ankle injuries in sports can often be reminiscent of a long time after the injury itself. Typically, you experience the biggest problems with increased load, intensity or repeated start/stop and sudden movements that are regular movement pattern in a sport that you play. Some sports that we play on uneven ground place even higher demands on the stabilizing properties of the ankle protection.
To be able to move the ankle frequently without increased risk to injure yourself, you will need to carry a bit heavier but safer solution. Ankle protection for extra stability and function always has several insuring properties that together provide the best overall stability profile.
The combined stabilizing properties are about the anatomical fit of the ankle protection, material choice, fixation form, rail construction, and stabilizing band system. All these properties together provide an overall stability profile to secure an unstable ankle even under the harshest conditions.
For many users, using tape is still an option for extra stability and control of an unstable ankle. The tape is nowhere near as flexible an ankle brace solution, but it has its positive sides like everything else.
Down below, we will further discuss the difference between the two, and when you should use each of them.
Ankle Braces Compared to the Ankle Tape
The development of protection for ligament injury in the ankle has resulted in beneficial products with unique functions for extra support and control. Despite this development, taping of the ankle is still a commonly used method for extra stability and control of the ankle both in everyday use and in sports.
Many wonder what is best for extra support for a weak ankle, ankle brace or tape? To be able to answer the question of what is best, you need to understand the properties of both solutions. We will go over some of the differences between the tape and ankle braces in case you can’t decide what is best for your needs.
Stability
Placing the tape on ankle has reduced stability and is a relatively complicated procedure that requires training and knowledge before attempting it. Improper taping directly leads to deteriorated stability and in some cases wholly changed stability profile concerning the damage and the desired effect.
Quality of the tape also shows us how much stability the tape can provide. Besides placing a tape on the skin increases the risk as you sweat during your workout. If the tape gets gradually loosened, it will not be able to provide the same stability after 30 minutes of activity. That will slowly lead to more inferior support with less stability.
The impaired function and adhesion of the tape means double accident as you often experience increased instability as you become more tired and muscular. The right ankle protection with the proper functions ensures stability over time.
The best braces are those who can also easily be adjusted during the activity to increase the degree of support. That is entirely impossible with tape, as you would have to re-tap the ankle from the beginning.
Cost
A standard quality tape costs about 10$ and is usually sufficient for about 3-4 tappings of a ligament-damaged ankle. At a recurring training with a frequency of 3 times a week, you will need tape roll once per week, sometimes more and sometimes less.
The right ankle brace with the proper function and quality can serve you efficiently for one season. With an approximate cost of about 50$, the ankle protection is much more cost-effective with improved safety and simplified adaptation in the same solution.
Additionally, the risk of skin damage with tape increases the longer you use it. Given that a ligament injury in the ankle often involves permanently impaired stability, it is often necessary to use some form of extra support for an extended period of time.
The right ankle protection has of padded material like neoprene on top of a protective sock with minimal risk of abrasions and a non-existent risk of skin damage.
In Conclusion
The difference between tape and an ankle protector regarding skin damage is significant since the tape stains the skin sooner or later while an ankle protector does not harm the skin at all.
Our advice is to consult the professionals to conclude together with the solution for your condition. After that, browse online stores like Your Best Brace for finding just the thing that you need for perfect ankle condition.
