Can anyone recommend a good ankle support?

[misshoneybee]

Hi everyone,

My daughter is a L5 gymnast. Her wrist has been hurting for the last year, I have taken her in for a couple of sets of x-rays which have always been neg, she has had some PT; and I just took my daughter to a different sports medicine doctor today for a second opinion. She has a ganglion cyst in her wrist. We are going to get an MRI too.

Last night she sprained/strained her ankle doing a split jump, she just came down on her ankle wrong. It is not swollen and upon examination the doc said to ice it 3x a day over the next couple of days and take ibuprofen. She also said to let "pain be our guide" to determine whether or not she competes in this Sunday's meet. The doc recommended taping it. When I brought her to practice tonite her coach told me to get an ankle support (a reallly tight one that pulls on like a sock) on hand in case she needs to compete in it. Can anyone recommend a good ankle support (something that will really give the support that tape does)?

I really appreciate it.

 

[bogwoppit]

We have always used the ASO ankle support. They make one for use with bare feet and it offers great support. It laces up the front, has two crossing straps and an elasticated ankle strap. The sports therapist says it offers the same support as tape. However they cannot point their toes with it on, mind you they cannot with a good tape job either. So expecting her to wear one at the meet might be asking for trouble. Just a squat on will feel weird.

Ones that pull on like a sock do very little in terms of support.

 

[Northstar2400]

I use ASO also. I use it on a daily basis for every practice. I love them i have to get a specially made one because of the way my ankel is, but it is totally up to you whether you get one specially made or not they also make some that work. We just decided to invest in one because im using it everyday and it gets a lot of use. I am on my fourth one and theyve lasted me about a year each. the only thing i suggest with ASO is scratch the bottom or put a lot of chalk on the bottom before doing beam, or usingit for the first time because at first they are a little slick but ive never gotten injured from it. I hope this helps! If it helps im a level 7 gymnast and work out 15+ hours of week. well right now im doing all conditioning since i dislocated my elbow:/

 

[Northstar2400]

Oh i have one more thing to add. Not to go against bogwoppit because she might have this problem. I have found that if you work to point your foot while you have a brace or tape on you eventually figure out how to do it. i have never been deducted for not pointing my toes b/cof my brace, wellnotthat i know of. My coach used to tape my ankel but once i built up strength in both of my ankelsi switched to braces. and my pointe now comes naturally. i also know Pointe (ballet) dancers who wear ASO and they love it, they say it adds the strength you need for pointe shoes!

 

[flipper's fan]

DD wears the ASO as well. She got it from her ortho dr. but you can buy them in the sporting goods stores.

 

[AGM78910]

Kinesiology tape

You should really give Kinesiology tape a try. It goes under the names "Rock Tape" or "KT" tape.You can buy it at any sporting goods store. We get KT tape in all colors at Sports Authority. My daughter's sports medicine doc has used it on her stomach muscle tear, her foot injury, and her knee tendonitis.

This tape is different because it is stretchy, not rigid. It allows the muscles to move and the blood and lymphatic fluids to flow. This promotes healing while providing support. And the athlete can continue to train. (With some constraints, of course.) I would ask the doctor about it and let them show you how to properly wrap the area. The good thing is it can be molded to a specific area and not be constrained by a one-size-fits-all brace.

My daughter's friend wore it at on her foot at a meet recently. She could point her toes with no problem and it blended with her skin tone so it was not noticible.

 

[taximom]

My daughter just sprained her ankle a couple of weeks ago. We bought the ASO Max for bare feet. She says it works like magic!

Here is the link to the site I purchased from:

ASO MAX (Black) by Achilles Medical

 

[bogwoppit]

That is the one we have, it is amazing, though far from cheap!

 

[misshoneybee]

Thank you so much for the insight

Thanks a lot to everyone who responded to my question. Your feedback was great and very useful.

Lauren

 

[cher062]

When my DD had ankle issues 2 years ago the DR and PT both recommend the Futuro products as they slip on but also have a wrap around part so they can tighten it as much as they need to. This is the one my DD has and it worked great for her But there is another one that is also a "sport one that doesn't come up as high on the ankle You can get them at any of the local pharmacies. I think we got our at either CVS, or Walgreens.

 

[flips123]

This is crazy!Your daughter sounds exactly like me!I was having wrist pain for a few months before my gangleatic cyst popped up (this was 2 years ago) we went to the doctor and he said if it got too painfull or lasted longer than 2 years then I would have to get it removed.It was quite painfull for a month or so before it felt better.After a while I forgot I even had it.The only thing that reminded me of it was when people saw my wrist and commented on it.(It petruded about 2 or 3 inches and was about 4 inches long).I hit the 1 year and about 9 month mark this summer when I went on the strap bar to work on form.I felt a small twinge when I was going around and it was gone!I also sprained my ankle this past October and my PT gave me an ASO ankle brace.The brace seems complicated but it allows you to tumble and dance with minimal pain.(First you have to lace it up,then velcro the strips around your arch and then velcro around the top.)Personally I prefer having it tped but I do like the brace too.(It was $33)

 

[i<3gymnastics]

bioskin trilock ! you will never roll your ankle again in it. i don't know about the other ones mentioned but you cant wear this on bars or beam because it slips so you have to wait until your ankle is a bit stronger again so it doesnt rool when you land a dismount but you can always just use tape for those 2 events