...is an ankle support, but not just any ankle support.

For the past number of years, my left ankle has steadily been worsening/weakening.

A visit to the surgeon revealed that it was not my ankle joint that is affected by osteoarthritis (wear and tear on the joint caused by rheumatoid arthritis), but rather the subtalar joint. Furthermore, he informed me that ankle joints are replaceable and unfortunately, subtalar joints are not.

My surgeon offered me two options. I could either have the joint fused, which would restrict the side-to-side movement. As I do a lot of dog walking on trails, this is not something I wish to do at present. The other option is to see if orthotics would help to stabilize the foot and prevent it from rolling to the side, thus eliminating the pain.

I've found a third option, which has considerably diminished the pain I feel. Ankle support. I actually prefer this because my foot is supported and stabilized from the moment I get up until the time I go to bed. We could all use a little more support like that, couldn't we?

I've tried many different versions and brands of ankle splints, but so far, the best for support and durability has been the Figure 8 style. Not just any Figure 8 style, though! I'm like Cinderella and Goldilocks all rolled into one - there's only one just-right fit for me!

I've tried Figure 8 supports that have been made by different companies and so far, I can only rave about the Futuro® Ankle Support that is marked as: 45 Ankle Large RE. If you see one collecting dust on a shelf in your local pharmacy, please let me know as this model has been discontinued. 🙁