AIRCAST A60 Ankle Support Brace - Ankle Sprain, Chronic Instability, Stabilising Sports Support for Protection and Prevention. Size Medium, Right, Black

To start this review I must stress that I don`t use this brace to enable me to play sport, I use it to support my ankles because they are both damaged from physical activity and sport. With that in mind I can`t comment on how well it performs in sports situations.What I can comment on though, is the tremendous support these braces give both of my ankles, allowing me to work and walk in difficult situations.I`d tried various elasticated and compression supports before these, and none of them gave me any degree of stability in my weak ankles.One thing I`d stress is that it takes time to get used to these. I found mine uncomfortable until "broken in". Like you sometimes get with a new pair of shoes, I found that these dug in, and chaffed my skin in places when I first started wearing them, and it took a period of wearing them to get to the stage I`m at now. Whilst I can now wear them underneath my safety boots at work for 12 hours without problems, that wasn`t the case at first. I had to persevere to get the best out of them. Now I couldn`t be without them. I`d never have thought it possible to regain the feeling of stability I had in my ankles in my youth, but in truth these braces have achieved it.The most remarkable thing about these braces, aside from how effective they are for me, is the velcro they use. I`ve lost count of the amount of items I`ve owned where the velcro is useless and stops working after 5 minutes, to the extent that I`d come to chose items with zips over velcro every time. This velcro is different however. I`d describe it as proper industrial strength material, to the extent that they could probably hold the space shuttle together with it. It`s borderline annoying when you haven`t got the braces on, because it latches on to itself and always needs teasing apart, but I`ve got to hold up my hands and say that when the brace is on it`s going nowhere!.I`ve had these for over a year now, and wear them on average every other day for 12 hours, and really they look nearly as good as new. I do wear socks under the braces for comfort, and another pair of socks over the brace to protect them (they aren`t cheap items). Thankfully I don`t suffer with sweaty feet so wearing two pairs of socks under work boots, even in summer, isn`t a problem.For the benefit of my review I will stress again that I DO NOT wear these to play sport or for running.To conclude........Excellent items that I wouldn`t be without. They actually improve the quality of my life, which I don`t say lightly. Yes expensive......but worth every penny to me.

I am 41 and play 5-a-side soccer and jog regularly. I have suffered with weak ankles for many years as a result of injuries suffered and not properly attended to when I was younger, to the point that my ankles frequently roll, even when just walking about on uneven paving. This ankle brace is the most effective I've ever had at preventing ankle rolls. On it's own, it seems like a tight brace but not one that would stop the ankle turning, but when combined with a shoe the 'lock' is actually quite strong. The brace is by necessity quite tight and obtrusive, but having it go on over the sock means it doesn't chafe as other types of braces can. The range of motion remaining allows running at full speed and hasn't interfered with my close control or touch when playing football. Overall I am very satisfied with the product so far and am able to play football with more freedom and confidence. I have a size 11 foot and ordered that large size initially, but that was too big. I replaced it with a medium and that has worked well, so if you are on the border between two sizes my advice would be to go for the smaller version. The only reason I haven't given it 5 stars is that I've only been using it for a month, but if it keeps working as well as it has been I will be happy to give it the 5-star rating.

I do share some of the concerns of other reviewers about the likely longevity of the product - it seems a little flimsy in the stitching, and the material is quite thin.But its quality as an ankle support is undeniable. When first putting it on, I was extremely sceptical, because it doesn't feel particularly tight like an elastic bandage does. In fact I wasn't convinced it was doing anything at all, but I decided to persevere and try a game of tennis. Two games later, and I thought I'd write a review so more people can be made aware of just how good these are.For a bit of context, six weeks ago I sprained my ankle quite severely by treading on a tennis ball while running sideways at full speed. In the subsequent hospital visit, they queried where I had gone previously for treatment as hey had no x-rays. It transpires that I have at some point broken this ankle - a pretty significant break too by the look of it. That of course meant that this sprain was always going to be more difficult to heal. I have done all the specified physiotherapy, but whenever I tried to do any active sport it would be painful to push off and flex the ankle, severely limiting what I could do. In tennis, running to the net and crouching low to return a volley, and then push back upright was possible, but I was always wary of the pain when quickly changing direction. I began to think I'd never be able to play properly again - I'm heading towards 50 and things seem to take longer to recover :-)After trying these ankle supports/braces, I have been able to play two hours of strenuous tennis, running in every direction, and lunging without feeling any pain. I thoroughly recommend them.

Before you buy this product (which my physiotherapist recomended and I'm sure is very effective) you need to know that if there is a problem (mine was too small) the company will not accept returns. Quite an expensive mistake!

I love these straps. I have a fused ankle due to a sports injury and also have lost partial use of the perineal tendon so my foot walks over. I tried many straps but this one is the best. In combination with a wider soled shoe it enables me to hike and cycle effectively.