We’re big advocates of youth sports and promoting safe, healthy activities among today’s kids. We want your children to play better and play more, while losing less time to ankle injuries. Ultra Ankle wants your kids to “stay in the game.”
Many of our customers are parents interested in learning more about ankle braces for their child who are unsure where to start and share the same questions and concerns.
An Ultra Ankle brace may be the best solution for your child if they currently wear a different ankle brace but:
If you’re new to ankle bracing and starting your research, we would recommend researching the following:
Unlike mass-produced “compression sleeves” or cheap lace-up braces, Ultra Ankle braces are professional-level ankle braces that use the latest advanced materials and designs. They have been thoroughly field-tested by collegiate and professional athletes to offer a level of support, performance, and durability you can’t get from over-the-counter ankle braces.
If your child is still injuring their ankles while wearing tape or an ankle brace, they are most likely not receiving the proper support and need something they can rely on to help keep ankle injuries at bay. In most cases, wearing a fabric wrap-around or tie-up support (lace up brace) will restrict the ankle’s natural range of motion, and, loses support rapidly. Our Ultra Zoom™ is a hinged ankle brace that allows you to move in all the natural ways and none of the bad ones. Your child will play better and play more, losing less time to ankle injuries.
Using a lace-up brace can help, but, keep in mind it will bind or tie-up your child’s ankle joint to restrict its natural range of motion. This will lessen the support and limit their ability to walk, run, or jump and it can hinder their performance. Just as you would never tie-up your knee to support that joint, you don’t bind up your child’s ankles either.
In many sports, it’s not about the strength of your child’s ankle or their ability to prevent ankle injuries themselves, it’s the environmental factors, such as jumping and landing on another player’s foot, that typically cause sprained ankles. For this reason, we recommend that anyone who plays a sport, such as volleyball and basketball where they do a significant amount of jumping in close proximity to other players, consider wearing preventative ankle braces. In football, lineman are highly exposed to ankle sprains because their ankles are often stepped or landed on. This can result in the more severe high ankle sprains. For other sports, ankle braces are typically worn after an injury has been sustained to help recover faster and prevent further injuries and additional damage to the ankle ligaments. We often recommend wearing our premium ankle braces before injuries occur, keeping players in the game and off the sidelines and crutches.
The Ultra Zoom brace’s flexible shell will never crack, break, or tear. It typically lasts athletes through two to three years of play until the hinge becomes excessively loose and needs to be replaced.
Since Ultra Zoom braces are low profile and because they form fit to player ankles, it’s comfortable enough that your child will actually wear it. After the initial short break-in period is complete, they won’t even know they have the brace on and you can stop worrying about potential ankle injuries.
Lace-up, or wrap around, ankle braces restrict an athlete’s natural range of motion, lose support in less than 30 minutes of activity, and provide the lowest level of ankle support while negatively impacting their performance. The only movement that causes an ankle injury is excessive twisting and turning, so why would you want to restrict the natural up and down motion they need to run faster and jump higher?
Recommended for
Prevention/Sports
0-1 Previous Ankle Injury
Support Level
⚫⚫
Restriction VS Mobility
Restricts excessive ankle turning while maintaining moderate mobility
Reduces Weight Bearing Pain
No
Design
Lace-up with Figure-8 Straps
Shell
Nylon Fabric
Form-Fitting
Yes
Price
$31.95
Recover & Protect
Recover faster and help protect against future ankle injuries all season long.
Recommended for
Recovery/Prevention/Sports
0-4 Previous Ankle Injuries
Support Level
⚫⚫⚫⚫
Restriction VS Mobility
Restricts excessive ankle turning and twisting while maintaining maximum mobility
Reduces Weight Bearing Pain
No
Design
Hinged-Cuff
Shell
Flexible Performathane
Form-Fitting
Yes
Price
$61.95
The Best Ankle Brace for Prevention and Performance
When it comes to ankle protection for your child, the Ultra Zoom is the only brace that restricts excessive ankle twisting and turning to help prevent both high and low ankle injuries. It’s also a great option to help youth athletes return to activity after a mild sprain. The flexible soft shell absorbs body heat to help form fit to your child’s ankle. You don’t get used to the Ultra Zoom, it gets used to you.
These ankle braces typically last youth players through two to three years of club and school play before they need to be replaced. It’s on their ankle in seconds, protects them for hours, and lasts for years.
When it comes to ankle braces for teens and kids, we only recommend our Ultra High-5 for athletes with a history of multiple ankle injuries (six or more) resulting in chronic ankle instability or those who need more support following a severe injury.
Has your child recently been placed in a walking boot either for a severe sprain or to recover after a break? The Ultra CTS is used in cases where patients are ready to transition back to activity after being in a boot. This brace provide reliefs from weight bearing pain and helps them regain their range of motion and keeps their muscles strong.
“My daughter plays volleyball year round. She is an outside & right hitter and rolled her ankle a year ago. She is using the Ultra Zoom brace on both ankles as do most of our front-line players. She tried another brace that was purchased at a big box store, but they were uncomfortable and one broke. Ultra Ankle was recommended by our high school coach and many other players use your brand. Very satisfied!”
Libby F.
“My daughter is a middle school athlete completed her volleyball season wearing the ultra zoom. The break in period was short and sweet, they molded perfectly to her feet. She has now transitioned over to basketball. She absolutely loves the braces and they give her a bit more confidence going in for rebounds and hitting the boards. From a parent’s perspective we are very appreciative of them especially when playing sports at a young age and bones are still growing and aligning. Thank you again for such a wonderful product.”
Jennifer B.
There are no clinical studies that indicate wearing a preventative ankle brace will weaken your ankle. However, to insure that your ankle stays strong all season long, I would recommend wearing a hinged ankle brace that moves with the natural motion of the joint. I would not recommend fabric, lace-up style braces because they restrict all ankle range of motion, including natural up and down ankle movement needed to run, jump, and keep your muscle strong. If you’re restricting your ankles natural range of motion by binding or wrapping it in place, then your ankle is working harder to move in the non-injury causing ways which can result in fatigued joints or weaker ankles.
All of our ankle braces are sold individually.
Your Ultra Zoom ankle brace will need to be replaced when its hinge gets too loose to provide adequate stability. You can test its hinge looseness by holding the bottom of the brace in one hand and the top of the brace in the other hand then pushing and pulling the brace together and apart. If you see the hinge and rivet area showing a lot of back and forth movement then the brace needs to be replaced. If it appears the hinge area is still tight but the rest of your brace is looking pretty rough, you can replace the activity strap, inversion strap, and padding system as needed.
Do you still have questions about ankle braces or what your child needs to wear after twisting their ankle? Our certified athletic trainers are available to answer specific questions about their ankle injury to make a personalized recommendation on which ankle brace or treatment route might be best.