Ankle Support Bandages

The_One_Who

After feeling some twinges during sport last week, I've decided it might be best for me to invest in some sort of support bandage in an attempt to help my weak ankle.

Is there a significant different between the cheaper ones I could get in somewhere like Boots, and the ones that are about £50 in a dedicated sports shop? Obviously I want my ankle to survive my sporting activities (bouldering, complete with lots and lots of falling; and fencing) so if there is a real difference I'll stretch to the expensive one, but if there's no different I can just go for the cheaper kind.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

jackjones86

Do you have flat or near flat feet? Do your shoes have proper arch support? And why aren't you seeing a physio....

The_One_Who

jackjones86 wrote: »

Do you have flat or near flat feet? Do your shoes have proper arch support? And why aren't you seeing a physio....

Don't have flat feet, and the shoes that I wear most often do have arch support. My trainers and rock shoes don't though. My problem is mainly with the climbing, since the falls might start to take their toll. It's fine if I deliberately fall, but if my foot slips off I've hit the ground before I can change my body to fall better!

I'm not seeing a physio because I don't feel the need to. I have a weak ankle, probably from falling over my own feet fairly often as a child.

Nile

jackjones86 wrote: »

Do you have flat or near flat feet? Do your shoes have proper arch support? And why aren't you seeing a physio....

The_One_Who wrote: »

I'm not seeing a physio because I don't feel the need to. I have a weak ankle, probably from falling over my own feet fairly often as a child.

Hello The One Who

I agree with jackjones86.;)

Your GP can refer you for physiotherapy. I had a weak ankle (after torn ligaments injury playing sport) that wasn't improving and my GP referred me for physiotherapy at the hospital. The physio discovered that my proprioception was rubbish in the weak ankle. The physio gave me specific exercises to strengthen my ankle, I followed the exercise regime to the letter............and my ankle has never bothered me since.

Here is more information about proprioception:

Once a joint has been damaged, or a ligament has been torn or partially torn, there will be a deficit in the proprioceptive ability of the individual. This can leave the person prone to re-injury, or decrease their coordination during sport. Proprioceptive ability can be trained through specific exercises and, in the case of the injured athlete, the improvement can compensate for the loss caused by injury. This has the effect of decreasing the chances of re-injury. Proprioception also helps speed an athlete's return to competition following injury. The exercises should be initiated as soon as possible following injury.

http://www.physioroom.com/injuries/supplements/proprioception.php


Wearing ankle supports may not be the (permanent) solution to your weak ankle problem. See your GP.

Regards

Nile

belfastgirl23

Agree with the others, your first step should be to try to resolve the underlying problem rather than bandage it - which will only cause it to weaken longer term. A good sports physio should be able to help you figure out the problem - it could be a referred problem from somewhere else rather than your ankle itself. I have a slight knee problem but I think it's partly caused by a tight hip flexor.

Good luck

mazza111

Agree with seeing a physio, if they think you need supports they will refer you to orthoptics to get some. As the mother of someone with hypermobility syndrome, the supports you can buy from boots, £1 shops etc don't offer the right support, the ones you get from orthoptics should support the right muscles though. We go tomorrow to get more braces for the dd.

jenniewb

I think you've had the correct advice about seeking proper medical help for what could be a bigger issue but I just wanted to answer your question about the differences in price vs quality when it comes to support bandages.

I've got ankles which I regularly seem to sprain (mixture of being hypermobile and the ligaments being torn initially 2 years ago which means they are weaker then otherwise and more liable to sprain again). I've got a variety of support bandages to deal with this and can say I do notice a difference in the cheaper versions compared to the more expensive versions.

Its not just about support, its about ease of use. The white bandages tend to cut off the blood supply (or just leave deep sock marks) and the support is pretty uniform throughout so doesn't support on parts of my ankle which are thinner then in comparison to my calves, they are too loose in some areas, too tight in others.

The wrap around bandages I just found horrible. Uncomfortable and stocky to wear and they collect dirt so easily!

The neurolene (sp?) version from Boots (around £15?) were the most expensive type I've tried and the best, they have adjustable straps and are easy to take on/off. They don't tend to become weaker with washing either.

I've also tried a nerolene version from the pound shop which was just laughable- it didn't have any real support and the only thing it did make me do was sweat. The material itself smelt like crude oil and just ended up in the bin as a result, no amount of perfume got rid of that smell when it was worn.

I've not tried the really expensive £50 types you mention, maybe you could ask a physio for their opinion when you visit.

Fire_Fox

Please do not use external support unless that was recommended by a medical or degree qualified fitness/ sports professional. External support takes the place of the small stabilising muscles and can actually cause them to become lazier and weaker, so supports should only be used in specific circumstances.

Please get proper diagnosis as to why you have discomfort or weakness and what you can do to strengthen or stabilise the area. Actually what appears to be ankle weakness can be caused by or contributed to by problems as far distant as the deeper abdominal and back muscles!

susieb

My daughter is hypermobile, but also plays alot of county level sport. She was constantly folding her ankle right over and got btoken fingers, kneecaps all from falling because of her ankles. We struggled to get any decent help or advice via GP or numerous follow ups to A+E , but one a+e consultant told us to use ankle stabilisers for the sport only. This has worked, and has keep the ankle stable, but we work hard away from sport on balance boards to try to strenghten the ankle itself. But as to the different types, those pull on elastic things are just not upto the job, the wrap around ones, impossible to wear sports shoes with. We eventually settled on the mueller ankle stabliser which is about £25. They have a figure of 8 strap and also plastic stays, which are what prevent the roll over of the ankle. Weve used them for about 2 years, and they dont last - the plastic stays do snap! But while they work they are good.
Luckily via her sports we now have access to a sports physio and we are hoping to one day get the ankles in a good enough condition to withstand sport on theor own.

The_One_Who

Eeeek! Thanks everyone. I have a GP appointment next month, so will bring this up with them then. Since if I tried to book one now it would probably next month before I could get one!

mazza111

Core strengthening physio (like on the wobble boards as suzieb said) should help you out too. A lot of places do a self referral to physio, might be worth a call to the surgery just to see if your area does that sort of thing.