All things ankle related (turns, twists, sprains etc)

[Rosie]

Hi Trekster

It is common for us to need to wear supports during activities and then to take them off when at lower risk of injury, like pottering around the house. As you have found, physios do not always understnd that our joints are as mobile as they are, and can overlook the problems this can cause. Do remember, physios are used to dealing with patients who have joints with a limited range of motion , often following an injury or surgery, and are working to improve this range. When we come along with joints that already have a full range of motion (ie 'normal'), they often do not realise the consequences of joints that go further than the normal range. Only you can decide what your ankles need, but I still think it is better to exercise ankles with supports on, rather that not do the exercises or activity or to continually injure them.
When I exercise, I expect to get the usual day-to-day pain from my joints, but if it is worse, or a new type of pain, I question the exercise.

Rosie

[Spireite]

Trekster,

I had umpteen physios insisting I did leaping around exercises in all directions for my unstable feet and ankles. They caused me serious injury every single time. Lucky for them they didn't have to live with the consequences, but I did. I haven't met a physio yet who understands my unstable ankles including top international sports physios and a top hypermobility specialist physio. They don't seem to understand that once the ligament is stretched out it is stretched out and leaping around isn't going to unstretch it. Feet and ankles are mainly held together by ligaments and physios, even top ones, don't seem to really understand this. The muscles around them are tiny by comparison. As Rosie says, physios are still focused and used to patients with limited range of motion not excessive range of motion leading to subluxations throughout the whole foot and ankle, even top hypermobility ones.

The first rule about going forwards is to not go backwards, ie avoid injury first and foremost. Safety first!

I have improved my feet and ankles myself, by the way, whereas physios only made them worse.

[leashy11]

Does anyone know of a good ankle support please? I've sprained my ankle for about the millionth time but it's quite a bad sprain and last time it was this bad they made me have a cast on it which I'm not keen on this time as it would make life impossible for me now I live alone. I've got a sport one on at the moment and it's helped alot but it's a bit bulky to go into my boots so I'm wondering if there's a decent one with good support that will fit into my shoes?! Also do they do anything like this on the NHS? The department I got my orthotics from said if I needed any further help feet wise to call and ask but if it's going to be on a par with Forest Gumps calipers then I'll pass!!

[niccysearle]

I don't know if this will be any help to you leashy11 but I have huge problems with my ankles, to the point where if I go out without my supports I can guarantee that they will collapse on me!
I was given some supports by my local hospital's orthotics department which are the same as these (just a different make) and they are brilliant. They will fit in the majority of boots/shoes and they help stop over-pronation worries.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mcdavid-Ultrali ... 43&sr=8-14

[Rosie]

Hi all

My ankle supports are very similar, called ASO, execpt they have fiogure of 8 straps rather than figure of 6, and I swear by them. I do have to chose my footwear carefully to fit them though.

Rosie

[niccysearle]

Rosie, I have a query that I wonder if you may be able to help me with?

As previously mentioned, I wear ASO ankle supports like you do, (I have the figure of 6 ones) which were provided by the orthotics dept in my local NHS hospital. They are starting to fall apart so I would like to get another pair...will I need to go through the whole re-referral process like I'm having to do for my custom made insoles, or do you know of anywhere that I could purchase them for a reasonable price???

Any info/advice would be gratefully received!!

[Rosie]

Hi niccy

I googled ASO ankle supports and I think the most reasonable ones are on ebay, about £40 per pair which I think is quite reasonable. There are some other sellers as well, one I found was in the US but delivery was free worldwide.

Rosie

[niccysearle]

Bless you...thanks so much for looking into that for me!! Will have a hunt of ebay and see what I can find!!

[madmum]

My son has an avulsion fracture of his fifth metatarsal and is in plaster. When he comes out he will have physio but can anyone recommend a suitable method of support other than tubigrip which does not work. He has ankle boots and orthotics so must be able to fit with them. Thanks for any help.

[JoSo]

I have tryed a lot of ankle braces in my tiume but the best my far are these ones:
http://www.firstaid4sport.co.uk/Donjoy- ... ace-PDJ59/
other people i have put them in also think they are fabulous xx

[Rosie]

Hi all

The Donjoy braces work on the same prinpipals as the ASO ones, but they are not as supportive. My ankles need the metal inserts, I have tried ones with the material that the Donjoy ones have and I walked them over within weeks, and they didn't stop my ankles moving around when I was walking. Also the ASO ones have a wider straparound the leg, and I njeed this as well. As per most things, i think it is case of some supports willw ork well for some people, others will nedd another type.

Rosie

[niccysearle]

I would agree with Rosie....I wear the ASO ones with the stays inserted in the sides. They are the only ankle supports (and I've had a fair few over the years) that don't allow my ankles to over-pronate and they have been, in my hubby's words, a godsend!!

[trekster]

Twisted both my ankles nearly falling over with heavy shopping tonight (I didn't pack the shopping).
I was unloading mums car as she was reluctant to allow me help her using my wheelchair and I didn't want
another 'bad support worker situation'. It was the 3rd journey (my 28 metre limit) to the car because shes
overbought on the food.

It could be the downpour earlier that's affecting my joints as I'm normally worse when it rains.
I'm up to an 8/10 and my knees feel like someone has kicked them and my ankles someone has stood on them.
gotta get a sit down shower tomorrow so hope that helps.


Maybe I have overdone it today with the going to grans and back (about 100 yards down the road), checking presents
writing cards, making a cake, not sitting down as often as I should (because I thought it was a better day) getting
caught in a downpour, going to grans and doing a few drink errands and unloading heavy shopping from the car.

mod edit - text removed as off topic - PM sent to poster

[Fiona-Jane]

hope your joints settle soon! maybe you need to support your ankles and knees for a little while to let them heal?


when i have to carry lots of shopping i cheat and stick it on my wheelchair and push it in front of me, and use the back of the chair to support my weight a little as my legs like to give way under me cos i trap lots of nerves while stood up. even my mum agrees that it's so much easier that way-mum does the same overbuying thing at christmas and so i had to take her shopping (as my car boot is bigger than hers) and help her carry it in. usually it'd have taken 4 trips to the car and back but with my chair we did it in 2! woohoo! means less time on my feet so less injuries. 1st year i've not been injured by the food shopping trip

i have a brace on my right ankle (basically a richie brace but from a cheaper manufacturer, but works great). and when i'm in a situation where i have to walk i strap up my other ankle with some tape and either tubigrip or cohesive bandage to prevent myself going over on it and spraining it. it's a lot stronger than my left but is still quite weak compared to normal ankles, and the sprains can take me years to heal fully so i'm extra careful to prevent them. once my walking is over i take off the tape etc and so i'm at no risk of the joint getting weaker due to the strapping, it's not on long enough.


and maybe they're just twisted rather that sprained? sometimes i can make the pain less by mobilising my ankles and feet (without weight bearing), i find that my little ankle and feet muscles cramp up when i go over on my ankle and if i can make these relax again the pain is much less. i mobilise my ankles by pointing and flexing my feet, doing circles with my feet and writing the alphabet in the air with my foot, making sure all the movement comes from my ankle (and not from my foot). the alphabet exercise is one of my ankle physio exercises and it's a good one to do every day to increase ankle strength and stability.

happy christmas!


fi xx

[sheppeyescapee]

My feet are still a mess. Am awaiting an appointment with orthotics to get something more rigid than the first ones they tried. I still managed to have many dislocations and subluxations with the brace they gave me while on! The material was far too flexible. Will see what they come up with next.