Boot recommendations for weak ankles

[Sherpa]

My wife has started wanting to go out more with me. I think she accedently picked up one of my AT books and is hooked now.

Anyway, I'm consernd about her weak ankles. She has had a lot of sugeries from broken bones in her feet (both) when she was a teen (30 now). If she over does it in tennis shoes her ankles will swell. Now I know part of it is her getting into shape to start doing this, but I'm wondering what we need to look for her in some boots.

I was thinking very high ankles but I haven't found too many. The only real high-ankles I've found are hunting and military. Also, should we do heavy weights since they're stiffer or what?

Any Suggestions?

Thanks

[Grimace]

were destroyed from too much Ultimate Frisbee but find that I still hike in trail runners. I would recommend starting slow to build up strength in unused muscles. Simple exercises with therabeands would be helpful to. Also recommend using poles. They take a significant amount of stress of the leg joints.

Honestly, I'm not qualified to give you a recommendation. The above is what I have done.

[TREE-HUGGER]

I think strength is just as, if not more important than supportive boots. And I think the rest of the leg muscles need to be strong right along with the ankles so that the ankles are truly supported. The best way for this is a consistent combination of resistance machines in the gym and hiking on a trail. Consistency is the key. Most folks main pain complaint is soreness in their knees when going down hill. Most of that can be taken away when all the muscles around the knee joint are really strong. Training isn't any fun but I dont any other way around it.

[LWOP]

One thing to look out for if you go with a boot - get one that is all leather. I injured an ankle playing football in HS and tend to roll the same ankle some 40 years later. I bought a pair with leather and nylon mesh and had problems with them on the Pa rocks. I replaced them with all leather boots made by Northface (Treklight GTX). They solved the problem. :clap

[Blue Jay]

The only boot that can hold up weak ankles is a down hill ski boot, and you certainly do not want to hike in them. The only thing that holds your ankels up, is in fact, your ankles. As Tree-Hugger and Grimace said, there are many ways to strengthen ankles. In addition to their suggestions I also would suggest rollerblading/skating and step aerobics. My ankles were so bad that I could hit the bone on the ground. I was going to have them operated on prior to my thru. The surgeon suggested exercise first and it worked, never got the operation. Everyone wants to train their lungs and legs prior to a hike, why not add the ankles. Sorry to disagree with LWOP but leather is obsolete, gets wet, stays wet, heavy either way. No one wears leather shirts, pants and coon skin hats anymore for a reason.

[smokymtnsteve]

No one wears leather shirts, pants and coon skin hats anymore for a reason.


Blue jay,,,you sure about that...

i have some friends....

[TDale]

Well, I gotta agree with LWOP. I wear waterproof (non GTX) leather work boots for hiking most of the time. I like the extra support.

Then again I'm clumsy and wear a medical-issue knee brace for some of the damage I've done over the years and use one hiking staff on the worse leg side. Exercise for weak joints is never a bad thing, but that little bit of extra support is noticable.

IMHO

[Kerosene]

I too have weak ankles, to the point that my Achilles tendons bear the brunt of my ankle turning. Here are my ankle-strengthening exercises adapted from the physical therapist in an attempt to reduce my chronic Achilles tendonitis (previously posted on another thread). Those of you concerned with ankle support in trail sneakers could do this regimen every other day for a month or so to see how it works for you.

1) Toe-ups on the stairs. Be careful not to go too far down until you're warmed up. I typically do about 50.

2) Stretch your calves on the stairs by carefully lowering your heel below your toes, keeping your knees straight. Alternatively, you can stretch calves by leaning against a wall with your toes about 2 feet from the wall you would "push up" against. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds. (You can stretch your Achilles on the stairs by slightly bending your knees).

3) Walk on your heels, scrunching your toes, for about 3 minutes on a carpeted surface. You'll feel the fronts of your ankles get tired after awhile. I typically do these exercises in my living room, watching TV to ease the boredom.

4) Using 3 feet of green or blue Ther-a-band (available from physical therapist offices and fitness centers for about $1/foot, with blue offering more resistance than green) tied in a loop, wrap the loop around the toes of one of your feet. Do 15-50 reps of the following four strengthening techniques. Push your toes away for one set, then put the loop under a chair or other heavy object and position yourself to "pull" the band toward your chest for a set, then left then right for two sets. Repeat with your other foot. Concentrate on your ankle and keep your knee straight and out of the exercise, especially on the sideways pulls. You can also replicate this exercise using a "wobble board" (a round board with half a round sphere on the bottom that wobbles), but it costs a lot more.

5) Here's the fun part. Now that your ankles are tired, stand up next to the chair on one leg, placing the other leg in front of you in the air. On a rug or other uneven surface (a pillow or mini-tramp), try to stand on one leg for 15-30 seconds. If this is easy, then close your eyes (you'll be amazed at how hard this is). After 15-30 seconds, move the leg in the air to your side for another count, then to the back, and then move it all over (left-to-right, front-to-back, whatever). Repeat with the other leg.

I wear 3/4 high Vasque Clarion leather/nylon boots. I'm not sure that any boot can prevent ankle turns, but a higher boot will give you a little more time to catch yourself before the ankle turns over and fully sprains the ligaments. In that sense, a 3/4 boot with a defined top may be better than a full-height boot that has a softer top.

[Blue Jay]

Blue jay,,,you sure about that...

i have some friends....

You are correct, saying no one is as bad as saying never. There are always exceptions.