skates, braces, & ankle sprains

bobsbrotherfutureman

Registered User
Oct 6, 2006
2
0
i desperately need advice regarding *strong* ankle braces that fit inside a pair of skates.

i've had bad ankles since i was a kid- broke my right ankle & massacred the ligaments on a trampoline, and then sprained both from time to time over the next decade until i started wearing stirrup braces during any athletic activity.

when i started playing hockey a few years back, i just laced up my skates as tight as possible; i rolled & sprained the heck out of my right ankle 10 mins into my first game. i wear air-cast type braces on both ankles now, but they press so hard on the ankle joints that i can hardly think. worse, the pressure seems to be causing some kind of swelling on/around the tendons, which makes it more & more difficult to ignore.

so, my questions are:
1. are there any really strong ankle braces that are specifically manufactured to fit inside skates?
2. are there any skates that are particularly well-suited to wearing braces?
3. do i just need to get surgery on my ankles? if so, what's the procedure & general recovery time?

any advice is very much appreciated.
 

sc37

Registered User
Jan 14, 2006
1,578
0
OH-IO
www.thescoreboards.com
There's not much in a ways of a brace that'll fit in your skate..at least something sturdy enough like an Active Ankle. I'd say surgery, or lots and lots of tape before putting on your skates.
 

MikeD

Registered User
Jul 3, 2006
1,066
2
Buffalo NY
www.hawksice.com
I suggest getting a referral to an orthotist. They can definitely help you out. The cost may not be high with the inexpensive materials available today. What you would end up with is probably something like a very thin but rigid cast(molded and padded to your custom fit. You would then have to purchase a skate to fit the orthotics made. With the ankle issues you speak of being medically proven your insurance may pay for the cost as its less than repeat injuries would cost them.

As far as surgery, you would have to talk to a qualified orthopedic surgeon. Depending on the type of injury you could see a 3-4 week rehab to something much longer. The more invasive/extensive, the longer the recovery.
 

bobsbrotherfutureman

Registered User
Oct 6, 2006
2
0
heat molding?

thanks for the advice.

another related question- my skates are heat-moldable. Once they're heated, will they expand in the places that the boot is "too big," or does heat-molding just allow the boot to contract in places where it's "too small?"

also... what do the pros do about bad ankles? custom orthotics, I guess? there must be some with pretty poor ankles.
 

Oilerfan120582

Registered User
Jul 9, 2005
1,350
0
There may be a better solution, but I have the same problem and have fixed it by wearing tensor bandages on both ankles before playing. They give some support, some padding, and fit easily under the skates.
 

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