Mueller Adjust-To-Fit Ankle Brace is Worth Every Penny

Depending on which MD you ask, I have either Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. One of the results of this is that my ankles are very weak and achy. There have been many times where one or the other just gives out on me and I fall, looking like a real dork. I don't like to look like a dork. Buying a cane helped with the balance, but there was still periodic stumbling here and there. What to do? Well, I'ma tell ya...

The Mueller Adjust-To-Fit Ankle Brace is a neat solution. This ankle brace is available in either black or white and runs about $14 for each foot. I bought a black one at first because I figured being on the foot it would get dirty easily and black hides grime much better than white.

Now, this ankle brace is designed kind of odd. It covers your whole ankle, has a hole in the heal for ease of movement, then like a bridge thing under your instep and over the top of your foot. That isn't the odd part. The odd part is the tie up the front. When I first bought mine I was ignorant and actually unlaced the damn thing to put it on my foot. I then of course had to lace it back up and tie it. What a pain! Well guess what. It also has Velcro. DOH! So no, you do not have to fiddle with the laces at all. I don't know why the hell they're there at all. I suppose you could use it as another way to adjust the fit, but I really don't see it as necessary at all. The Velcro is a very wide swatch (on both sides) and all the adjusting I need to do is done with that. This fits from a women's size 6 to men's size 18.

The fabric is a very stiff waterproof kinda vinyl. It's stiff enough to give me support when my ankles are acting up, but yet it doesn't hinder movement. Mueller says this ankle brace is "reinforced with medical steel springs for support and protection." The lining is a nylon tricot/foam which I find very comfortable. The back has full elastic for your Achilles tendon.

I have been using this for 2 years now and liked it so much I have since bought a second one for those days that both ankles are being bratty. I can see no noticeable wear-and-tear on the older one yet so I have to say these hold up extremely well on frequent usage.

My one complaint is that it's very hard to wear shoes over these. I've taken to wearing a pair of Birkenstock sandals all the time, but that is a problem come winter. I can get my tennis shoes on over them (low cut Pumas) but it's a very tight fit. I'm thinking I may have to go to a wide width shoe for use when I'm wearing this brace. That isn't anything that Mueller can really do something about though. Tis the nature of the beast.

One thing that amazes me is the breathability of this ankle brace. If you've ever had to wear a cast you know how itchy it can get to have something tight covering a part of your body. Once in awhile I have to rip that Velcro off and itch inside after several hours, but really not all that often. Sweat in this is minimal, considering.

I highly recommend this brace if you need extra ankle support. It's comfy, it does the job admirably, and you can just toss it in the wash on gentle to clean it, and it even helps minimize my achyness. Yep, this baby is worth every penny and I'm glad I chose it.