Does Wearing an Ankle Brace Help When Skateboarding?

Skateboarding carries the risk of ankle injury due to weight transfer from one foot to the other. Pedaling, launching, landing and simply coasting can result in rolling an ankle inward or outward from the loss of balance. Wearing an ankle brace can help minimize the potential for injury and provide stability and support for a previously injured joint. There are limiting factors that vary depending on whether you are skating on a large ramp, skating street style in a park or heading downhill.

  1. Extra Stability on the Big Ramp

    • Launching from the apex of a ramp's transition and then re-entering the ramp is one dynamic that presents danger to your ankles. If your feet are not positioned on the board to evenly distribute your weight when the wheels reconnect with the wood, the board can shoot out from under you and cause one of your ankles to roll. A soft ankle brace with metal supports on either side or a lace-up brace can prevent rolled ankles, but the limited motion can hinder technically precise foot tricks.

    For Street Style You Must be Loose

    • The art of skating through the bowls, curves and transitions of a skate park relies heavily on ankle flexibility and finesse. Maximum ankle mobility is important if you want to excel at this facet of skateboarding and ankle braces worn as pure precaution will hinder your efforts. An ankle brace is helpful when reintroducing yourself to the terrain after an injury. If you want to experience the possibilities of the topography to the fullest, it's important to follow a plan to wean yourself from the brace gradually as you rebuild ankle strength.

    Brace for a Downhill Ride

    • Where ramp and street skating require quick movements for turns in tight spaces, downhill skateboarding involves turns of a wider breadth and no fast-twitch muscle and tendon movements for performing tricks. A soft brace, a lace-up brace and even a hard brace will provide additional support in the case of an accidental dismount. This is especially true in the case of a recovering injury. The speeds reached in this facet of skateboarding can exceed 50 mph. When a foot slips off a moving board at that pace, an ankle brace definitely provides crucial support that could prevent or at least minimize injury.

    Protect Yourself From Head to Toe

    • In addition to the vulnerability of ankles, just about any part of your body can be injured while skateboarding. The greatest risks are to your feet, knees, wrists, elbows and head. Proper footwear, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and especially helmets are recommended at all times. If you sustain an injury, it is best to stay off your skateboard until you are fully healed and when you do get back on, get back into the action slowly.