BioSkin TriLok Ankle Brace for Women & Men - Ankle Brace for Sprained Ankle, Plantar Fasciitis Relief, Foot Arch Support, Peroneal Tendonitis Relief, & PTTD Support, HSA or FSA Eligible

Wow, this brace has completely changed my life for the better...and has enabled me to take so many more steps each day! 🙂Background: sasquatch chased me up a redwood tree and I fell out about 18 months ago and broke my heel (calcaneus) which unfortunately has led to some bad foot biomechanics that has caused a whole host of other problems with my ankle / subtalar joint (haha really did fall out of a redwood tree but there was not sasquatch 😁)As of now am trying to postpone an ankle fusion and repair of an interstitial tear of my peroneal brevis tendon due to poor foot biomechanics caused by my heel flattening from the fall / break. So have been getting educated about ankle braces and orthotics in an attempt to postpone surgery...really my goal isto try and find any other option other than wearing a medical boot for a good chunk of the day (what I was doing before finding this brace).Have tried about a dozen or so braces and here are a couple that were pretty good from Amazon:1. Zamst A2-DX Sports Ankle Brace with Protective Guards For High Ankle Sprains and Chronic Ankle Instability2. Med Spec ASO Ankle StabilizerBut as the review states, this Bioskin TriLok brace has been the absolute best. Basically wear it around 90%+ of the day for the last month+ and it has been a complete game changer. Think the combination of the stirrup straps and the extra ankle lock brace does an awesome job of securing my ankle so my foot's biomechanics are closer to being correct so it basically doesn't hurt when I walk while wearing the brace correctly (takes a little practice given it is fairly complicated).I wear this brace in my normal athletic shoes (in addition to the custom orthotic) and it has allowed me to greatly extend my walking and movements throughout the day.To provide an example, say any given day I can take 100 steps in my athletic shoes (with orthotics) before my tendon and ankle start screaming at me and I have to put on the medical boot...this brace drastically extends those steps to like 500+ before my ankle gets to the same point. In comparison would say the Zamst probably gave me like 175 and the Med Spec like 150.Do agree with some other reviews that the brace's materials are a little less durable than some of the other braces on the market. So I do handle this brace with care, and when I take it off or put it on I take the time to be more gentle with the velcro and straps as it is probably not a brace you should rip off and then throw it in your gym bag...that being said, have been using the same brace for a couple months now and would anticipate with normal wear and tear and careful handling it could probably last 6+ months or so.Actually think the materials that have been used in this brace are perfect as they are softer and yet feel like quality...so the brace (despite its complexity) feel very comfortable throughout the day. Found the Zamst to irritate my outer ankle (and was hard to find a shoe it didn't rub it) after a couple hours and the Med Spec ASO was a little beefier of a brace that made it more bulky so it is less comfortable after a few hours as well.Think Bioskin has done a great job designing this brace with the right material to make it work even though it has more straps than the other braces, yet it actually feels more comfortable on my foot, hasn't had any rub / irritation spots, and fits as well as anyone could hope within your shoes (the best of all the braces).It is a little expensive, but if you are having ankle issues, then it may be worth checking out. Doubt it works well for all situations, but sticking with it has greatly improved my life and surprised my surgeon (doubtful it will fix any of my issues but at least it has improved my Quality of Life while we figure out our next steps).Very very happy to have found this and would certainly recommend it to anyone that has one of the conditions listed! Just be patient and take the time to learn how to wear it correctly and think there is a good chance it may provide you with some relief as well🙂

After my very active and athletic 12 year old severely sprained his ankle on a bad landing from a layup, I was eager to get him off the crutches (once I finally took him to get X-rays almost a week later after a very colorful ankle made me question whether or not my 17 years of clinical experience as a physical therapist had failed me in assuring myself it was not fractured...it was not). I have recommended and been pleased with several off the shelf ankle braces with patients and athletes over the years, all of which were re-scrutinized when it was my son that was injured (why you should never treat family!). He has really high arches and custom orthotics and the severity of his sprain really had me concerned about being able to adequately stabilize his ankle AND get him off the crutches in a timely manner in order to avoid secondary issues with immobility of his ankle (he could move it up and down with very little discomfort, but had landed on the outside of his ankle, stretching all of the ligament structure). I liked the compression of this brace and the very thorough strapping abilities, so I decided to give it a try. He was able to read the directions and apply the brace himself. The first try took 2-3 minutes, the second time took less than a minute. The brace is comfortable for him, which I was worried about with his high arches, and it offers CRAZY good medial/lateral (side to side) support, but still allows for sufficient up and down ankle movement. I could hardly generate any side to side movement by passively trying to move his ankle in this brace=very impressive! By the time he took the brace off 2-3 hours after the initial use, his lingering swelling had almost disappeared. 2 days later, I was having to explain to him why he could not play in his weekend basketball games. I have my criterion for letting him return to play basketball, but am amazed at how well this brace performs and how quickly he transitioned off the crutches. This brace is well worth the money and fits up to 2 subsequent shoe sizes (he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet and plays several sports), it fits in his shoe (Nike Free) with his orthotic, it's comfortable, and it does exactly what he needs it to do. As a mom and as a physical therapist, I couldn't be happier with this brace.