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Advice on Ankle Braces/Tensors?

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melissa98157
melissa98157

Hi all...I am 7 weeks post break (double-ankle break and one torn ligament). No surgery needed. I am full-weight bearing now and am starting to walk, but still need my crutches. My achilles tendon has slightly recoiled due to the position they casted my foot in, causing some more problems. It is extremely stiff and I cannot stand on my foot with my knee bent it is so tight.

I was initially apprehensive towards using an ankle brace or tensor because I want to build strength and build it fast and don't want to start a dependence on ankle supports. However, trying to lose the crutches is very difficult. Does anyone have any advice? Is it worth it to purchase an ankle brace, and if so, which kind? Will a compresshion sleeve do me any good?

Thanks in advance

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1 Reply

  • Chestnut17
    Chestnut17 melissa98157

    Posted

    I will say I never found much relief from an ankle support brace. (I believe it was a mental thing, mostly, as I purchased one at a drug store in town and wore it for a short kayak trip in case I needed to get moving in a hurry. I didn’t want to accidentally jam it wrong. Walking regularly outside daily was helpful for me to get back into the swing of it. There is no fast way to do the things, unfortunately. I could suggest to you practicing standing/ stretching, as your Achilles is tight. If you don’t do PT already that would be a better asset than a brace by far. I believe you have more difficulty getting off the crutches related to that ankle x2. One stiff ankle was one too many for me 10 months ago! When I was trying to run again I had bilateral Achilles tendinitis and it was not great. I ended up with a long acting steroid shot and slowing down on the type and distance of jogging attempt. It got better quickly. In short, practice what will make you stronger to increase comfort and keep positive thoughts at hand. You’ll get there!as for the brace I had for a hot minute- it was some black thing with Velcro and side supports built in. It was decor feeling but all the side stuff wasn’t necessary I think the compression was what made me feel good. I wore compression knee highs for quite sometime until the swelling subsided when on my feet.
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