Ankle brace

My son fractured (hairline) his ankle about 4 or 5 weeks ago. Going to start rehab pretty soon. Just wandering what would be a good ankle brace to wear while wakeboarding after we get the OK from the doc. This is the one the doc gave him to wear for now. http://www.braceshop.com/productcart...e-130p1261.htm

Ive been wearing this one for the past 2 years i love it. its similar to the one your show but it has a velcro strap at the top too
http://www.amazon.com/McDavid-Ankle-...6017522&sr=8-1

Matt, I assume you wear that while wakeboarding? How bad was your injury and how quickly did you get back on the water?

You could get a big, bulky, uncomfortable one like mine. At least it has room for stickers...

ya i wear it when riding. for me it was only a minor sprain that kept me from riding for a week then multiple similar sprains after that due to my foot getting stuck half in half out on some crashes. so nothing real similar to your sons fracture.

I never found an ankle brace that would fit comfortably in my bindings.

After a brief talk with my surgeon, he said since I had followed all of my PT and continued to work out strengthening my ankle, that my repaired ankle was probably stronger than my other ankle. He said no brace was necessary. My injury was more severe than your son's (I had to have screws and plates in my tib and fib), so I was out for awhile; hard cast for eight weeks, soft cast for for another eight with 50 % weight bearing, and then limited for another six. The next season I was good as new, except for my confidence.

i think they are all pretty similar. stiff bindings help as well. i have horrible ankles and fair pretty well with braces and cell bindings. If i forget them, i do not ride. i've forgotten them twice with the first time having me off the board for ~6 wks and the next time just a minor tweak but forcing about a weeks rest. Also, one day (or one jump to be more exact) snowboarding without them this winter had me off work for 3 wks. I have an ASO and a BRAGG. ASO is more sturdy and even has splints but I have pulled them out for comfort reasons in a binding. Both fit in the bindings just fine.

My problems are more scar tissue/muscle. If it was just a hairline and it heals aligned properly, a brace may not be necessary as Jeremy has suggested. A good stiff binding wouldn't hurt though.

good luck with the recovery!

Thanks for the input guys. I don't have a feel for how bad any of the tendons may have been damaged although the doc said there were no tears. I guess we'll see how PT goes and decide what to get if anything. Ian he wears the cell bindings also, so maybe that will help out.

To immobilize the ankle while riding, the figure 8 straps do next to nothing My son had serious ankle problems starting at the age of 11, including a fracture and at least 3 serious sprains. We tried every kind of ankle brace on the market, and finally settled on the McDavid A101R. It is a lace up brace with nylon stiffeners. He wore that brace successfully for 4 years with no further injuries. Now at the age of 16, he no longer wears braces, and his ankles appear to be reasonably strong and able to resist injury. The key element in a brace for wakeboarding are the ability to lace up the brace tightly so that the ankle is encased in a strong external sheath. We found the nylon stiffeners to be very effective in limiting lateral movement. As the ankle becomes stronger, the stiffeners can be removed.

As far as bindings, there are no better bindings to wear ankle braces in than CWB Hinge Tech bindings. A relatively low binding like the Vapor will allow freedom of movement to poke and grab etc., while the brace provides stability. A stiff binding restricts movement of the ankle, but as an unwanted side effect, it transmits that stress to the knee, and that's a whole different can of worms.