If you’ve just gotten a cast or brace, the question is: what shoes can I wear with my ankle brace? The answer is: it depends. It depends on the length of your cast/brace, as well as what you’re planning to do with your feet while wearing it. Read more on Shoes to wear with ankle brace, shoes for adults to wear with braces and womens workout shoes with ankle support.
If you have a short cast/brace that goes up just below your ankle, then most shoes will work fine. You can wear sneakers or flip-flops without any issues—just make sure they’re not too loose at the top or too tight at the bottom to avoid putting pressure on your foot.
If you have an ankle brace, however, this may not be practical for everyday wear if you’re walking around all day long—especially if there’s still some swelling in your foot from being injured. This will cause discomfort and could increase swelling even more if it gets trapped under clothes that are too tight!
So what are some other options for shoes to wear with an ankle brace? If you’re going out for dinner or drinks with friends, bring along a pair of flats so that when they ask why you’re limping around like that (which they inevitably will),
Shoes to wear with ankle brace
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:
- The ankle brace is very difficult to fit inside your tall work boot, or
- 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.
For an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) or splint to do its job properly, it needs to be worn with the right shoes. Finding the right footwear can be a challenge, so we’ve created this guide for you, to help you understand what to look for to find the best shoes for AFOs and splints.
During your orthotics fitting appointment, it is important you bring along the pair of shoes that are going to be worn with the AFO or splint. This allows the Orthotist to assess them and fit the orthotics to the shape of the shoe for best alignment and fit.
If you need to buy a new pair of shoes, you will need to do this before your fitting appointment. Here are our top tips for buying shoes to wear with AFOs or splints.
When buying shoes, make sure:
1. The heel is low, but not too flat
A high heel or completely flat sole can change how an AFO works. This can be bad for your feet and affect your walking.
Look for a shoe with low heel height. Arching your foot too high can create problems for your feet, legs and lower back. The angle may also cause the foot to slide out of the AFO.
shoes for adults to wear with braces
We know that you’re going through a tough time. You’re wearing an ankle brace and it’s not easy to find shoes that look good and feel comfortable.
But we want you to know that it’s possible! We’ve got the perfect pair of shoes for you: these [shoes]! They’re stylish, comfortable, and look great with just about anything you can imagine. You can wear them with your favorite jeans or even with a dress if you want to go out on the town—they’ll never make you feel like you’re sacrificing style for comfort.
And they’ll work with any kind of ankle brace, too. Just put them on and go!
A completely flat sole can be damaging too. A flat sole can cause overstretching, tearing, or inflammation of the ankle, not to mention damage to the AFO. A curved sole – one that moulds to the arch of your foot – provides the correct comfort and support.
2. The innersole of the shoe can be removed
AFOs or splints will take up extra room in your shoe. An innersole that can be removed will help allow for the extra room needed.
3. That the back of the shoe is quite hard and rigid
It’s important that the shoe provides stability and control of the heel. A more rigid back also makes it easier for the foot and orthosis to go into the shoe.
4. The shoe can be tightened and untightened easily
Hook and loop or shoelaces are the best options. These allow the shoe to be tightened but also untightened to allow a large opening for the foot and orthosis to slide in to.
Without a large tongue which moves far enough out of the way, it may be too difficult to insert an AFO into your shoe.
5. To buy one full size up
Buy a shoe that is one full size bigger than your current foot size. This allows for the extra room taken up by the orthosis.
TIP: You don’t want a shoe any bigger than one size up because it can affect your balance and walking. One size up is typically ideal.
6. The shoe is light
The lighter the shoe the less effort you need to walk.
7. Keep the receipt
Buy shoes from somewhere that allows returns and keep your receipt so that you can return or exchange them if they are not suitable.
womens workout shoes with ankle support
If you’re looking for a pair of women’s workout shoes with ankle support, look no further. We’ve got the best shoes for all your needs, from running to crossfit to yoga and everything in between.
We know that women don’t all have the same feet, so we make sure to offer a wide range of sizes (and widths) so that you’ll be able to find the perfect fit for your foot. And if you’re still not sure which shoe is right for you, our customer service team is here to help! They’ve been trained by a podiatrist and will be able to help you find the right shoe for your needs.
If you’re looking for a pair of women’s workout shoes with ankle support, we’ve got you covered.
Our line of women’s athletic shoes is designed to help you take your workouts to the next level, whether you’re doing yoga in a studio or running on the treadmill. Our women’s shoes have been tested by over 1,000 female runners and triathletes—so we know they’ll keep up with your routine.
We’ve got a wide variety of styles and colors to choose from, so you can find the perfect pair that fits your personal style and helps you feel confident when taking on new challenges. All our models are backed by our 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you decide something isn’t right for you, we’ll happily give you a full refund!
