Ankle braces are great to use after an injury… until they’re not.

Chances are, if you’ve ever walked, jogged, or ran, you’ve experienced an ankle injury. Lateral ankle sprains are one of the most common leg injuries I see as a physical therapist. And while they’re usually straightforward to treat, questions always come up about bracing. Not only that – ankle braces are by-and-far one of the most common things I see used by guests at any Disney park. So when does it make sense to use one, how long should you use it, and what types of braces work best?

Here’s 5 things you need to know about ankle bracing so you can have the most magical time on your next Disney vacation!

Ankle Braces Work Best for Those with a History of Ankle Sprains

We can confidently say that after looking at the most recent research, if you’ve had 1 or more ankle sprains, you’d benefit from bracing.

In fact, your risk of having another ankle sprain increases if you don’t use a brace with activity and you don’t perform an exercise program that includes balance training. More than that, researchers also found that bracing works in preventing another ankle sprain, especially if you’re planning on playing sports like basketball or soccer. Of course, being at the Disney parks doesn’t mean hitting the soccer field, but with all that walking or taking those quick steps to catch up with your child, you can rest assured that an ankle brace can help you there!

Okay, so ankle braces work well after ankle sprains. Check.

The thing is, not all ankle sprains are the same.

Usually, minor sprains called Grade 1 sprains don’t require a brace unless you plan on walking on very uneven terrain. Moving up the scale, you’ll likely want an ankle brace for more significant sprains called Grade 2 and Grade 3 sprains. Especially for these types of sprains, ankle braces can improve healing, reduce swelling, get you back to work and sport quicker, and prevent another ankle sprain.

So, a recent significant ankle sprain likely warrants an ankle brace while a minor sprain likely doesn’t need a brace.

A Semi-Rigid Brace Works Best

The old-school treatment of ankle sprains was to completely immobilize the ankle and prevent it from moving at all.

Good thing this isn’t the case anymore. Can you imagine how stiff and weak your ankle would be after being immobilized for so long? We now know that ankle sprains – even the more severe ones – recover better when the ankle is exposed to “protected movement.” Semi-rigid braces with metal, carbon fiber, or hard plastic rods on the sides do the trick because of the way they prevent your ankle from moving in the direction that you injured your ankle in the first place. There’s 3 types of semi-rigid braces, all with slightly different applications:

High-Stability Ankle Braces are the most stable because they lace up or tightly wrap high up around the ankle and work best for those more prone to ankle sprains or those who play field or court sports

Medium-Stability Ankle Braces with support rods don’t wrap as securely around the ankle and while they don’t offer as much support as the high-stability brace, they work well for the early stages of healing or walking on even surfaces – like those at the Disney parks

Medium-Stability Ankle Braces without support rods provide the least amount of support of the 3 braces due to its softer material, but can be very appropriate for someone in the later stages of healing, has achieved ankle movement, control, and strength, and just wants a little extra support while walking.

So in the end, a semi-rigid brace works best since it allows some movement while limiting the most provocative movements.

The Amount You Use Your Brace Should Decrease as You Recover

The caveat here is that you’re working on improving your motion, strength, agility, and confidence.

Early in your recovery process, your ankle needs some movement to allow the joint fluid to bring in oxygen and nutrients and promote soft tissue healing. As the ankle heals, you can safely work on improving your motion, strengthen your muscles, and regain lost agility. And as your ankle gets stronger and you get more confident, you can slowly wean off of your brace.

There will then come a point where you can completely be off your brace.

Ankle Braces Should Generally be used for 4-6 Weeks After Injury

From many studies, we’ve found that soft tissue, including the tissue that gets injured after an ankle sprain, goes through the most important part of the healing process within 4 to 6 weeks.

Of course, this timeline can change depending on the severity of your injury and what activities you want to get back to. More severe ankle sprains and medial ankle sprains likely need to be braced for 6 weeks or more and sometimes up to 12 weeks. However, even if you’re walking 25,000 steps per day at the Disney parks, you’ve had a lateral ankle sprain 8 weeks ago and worked on your movement, strength, balance, and confidence, chance are you won’t need that ankle brace or you’ll want the medium stability brace without support rods.

Make no mistake though – your self-confidence can very much dictate whether or not you should use a brace!

Braces Aren’t Very Effective if Used Without Exercise

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but an ankle brace alone isn’t going to prevent you from getting another injury.

A lot of the research behind bracing for ankle sprains found that it’s the combination of ankle bracing and progressively loading the ankle that helps decrease your risk of another injury. This means getting back on your feet within a week after your ankle sprain plus a set of exercises geared toward improving your movement, strength, and balance. Not only will this get you back to doing what you love faster, it will also improve your self-confidence!

If you’re unsure on what types of exercise you need, reach out to a trusted healthcare provider like a physical therapist.

Ankle braces can be great tools to allow you to continue to walk around the Disney parks after an ankle injury. However, the best way to go about it is very much nuanced. Having these knowledge tools in your toolbox will help you do what’s best for your ankle so that you can have a magical time at the Disney parks.