Hiking Is Ankle Support A Myth

Is ankle support a myth? A lot of hikers firmly believe this is true. In this article I will discuss the facts supported by studies and the opinions of many hikers.

One of the most used argument to hike in heavy hiking boots over trail runners is “ankle support”. The ankle support myth claims that a higher-topped shoe can provide more ankle support and prevent more injuries compared to a low-topped boot. There are a lot of factors that you have to take into account before deciding whether or not it really makes a difference. My conclusion is that ankle support is not a complete myth. However, it is a very overused and overvalued term in the hiking niche.

What is the ankle support myth
Many people claim that high topped shoes can prevent a lot more ankle injuries than low topped shoes because of ankle support. When hikers refer to the ankle support myth they refer to this statement.

The argument of ankle support is almost always used as one of the main arguments in every “hiking boots vs hiking shoes” discussion.

The key point that supports this statement is that a high topped boot limits your movement. Limited movement could prevent ankle injuries.

Ankle support is important because it could – or so is claimed – prevent various ankle injuries.

Having to deal with a sprained ankle on a hiking trip is problematic. This basically means that the trip is over. Therefore, you want to do everything you can to prevent this from happening.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of people who would benefit from this myth to be embraced. A lot of people on the internet try to make sales. You can’t sell a high-topped boot if you can’t convince your customer.

Scientific articles about ankle support
I read a couple of studies in the hope to find a concluding answer on the question “is ankle support a myth”.

I did not find an answer that I would call “concluding”, but I did find some valuable information.

Note that the amount of studies about ankle support and hiking is fairly limited. Instead, I will also look at studies about ankle support in other sports.

If you are interested in reading these studies yourself, you can find more information in these sources:

/questions/13910/is-ankle-support-a-myth

/forums/topic/22522/

I found the following statement to be a pretty good summary supported by these studies. Note that there is still an “interpretation factor”.

“From a strictly biomechanical point of view, ankle support works. The same person, in the same state of training, will have a lower risk of ankle injury with a higher-topped shoe or boot. But in clinical studies that look at injury rates among people who wear different footwear in a real-life training or sports scenario, there are not significant differences.”

Some people feel like they need ankle support, but they probably don’t actually need it. They might get a sore feeling in the ankle area and think this is related to ankle support. However, this is probably not the case.

Since hiking boots (and other means to improve ankle support) limit the movement, you will barely use your ankle muscles. So once you switch to a low-topped hiking shoe, you might get a sore feeling.

Stretching and training your ankle could also lead to less ankle injuries. This means that, in a way, low-topped shoes could be beneficial for your ankles as well.

I found myself agreeing with one of the conclusion on the stackexchange forum.

“Soreness means a body part is stressed more than normal. But the body is generally good at adapting and strengthening frequently overloaded parts until they can perform the same workload without any problems.”

That said, I did not find solid evidence in any of the studies to support this statement.

Another quote I like to include mentions that fixation of the ankle could lead to more stress on your knees. I did not find scientific studies to support this. However, I did find a lot of opinions that supported this statement.

“High boots can prevent ankle stressed but at the same time the fixation of the ankle means that the knee will take more torsion stresses to compensate. Even people with ankle injuries should concentrate on strengthening the ankle rather than fixation until such time as they don’t need the extra support.”

What does actually help with ankle support
Ankle support is all about limiting the movement and keeping the ankle straight. A high boot can help with that. However, this boot should be good quality and it should fit your foot perfectly.

Taping your ankle could also help. It limits the movement and can prevent the ankle from rolling over.

The best option to help with ankle support is probably an ankle support brace. These braces do not only provide ankle support, they are also used for compression and help preventing further inflammation.

Braces are mostly recommend after an injury or for people who have weak ankles.

Some of these braces do not provide any stabilizing benefits for the ankle, they are only used for compression. The different kinds of braces are fairly easy to spot. I will include two examples below. The first one is only used for compression and the second one actually has a stabilizing function.

Ankle Support Brace – Compression