Overexertion of muscles and accidents can stretch and tear the ankle ligaments, resulting in a sprain. In severe cases the ankle will be wobbly and very painful, so walking won’t be possible. A mild and low-grade ankle sprain, however, still allows foot stability, and though you may feel pain, you’d still be able to walk. In both cases, you would need to wear the best shoes that provide ample ankle support.
Depending on severity, ankle sprains may take a couple of weeks up to six months to heal. This doesn’t mean that you couldn’t walk until you have fully recovered. There are people who think that using flip-flops while recovering from an ankle injury is the best choice.
However, flip-flops have very minimal shock absorption capability and offer no foot support. Using the right kind of shoes will allow you to continue with your lifestyle despite the injury.
You need soft and roomy shoes with wide openings to fit in your ankle and sturdy soles. You can find many of these shoes in the market, but you’d want to wear only the best to support your recovery. To help you with this, we tested several shoe models in the market and choose 8 best shoes that offer stunning support for people with sprained ankles.
8 Best Shoes to Wear with Sprained Ankle in 2022
1. New Balance Men’s 608 V5 Cross Trainer – Editor’s Choice
- Cushioning on Cushioning
- ABZORB Technology
- Dual-Density Collar Foam
- Flexible Outsole
- Leather Upper
The New Balance Men’s 608 V5 Casual Comfort Trainers are incredibly comfortable walking shoes. Known for comfortable and supportive shoe designs, New Balance created the 608 V5 Casual Comfort Cross Trainers with the perfect blend of cushion and firmness to provide you with stability. Made from suede leather, these shoes are soft to the foot and ankle so you can walk around without worrying about your injury.
Features
The 608 V5 Casual Comfort Trainers from New Balance offers a durable suede upper and a unique lace up design, providing you with an adjustable and secure fit even when your ankle is still a bit swollen. It also has reflective materials throughout to help you become visible when walking in low light environments.
It has a well-padded collar with dual density foam to provide your ankle superior cushioning and prevent irritation. The widely adjustable tongue, wide opening and the pull tab at the back allows you to wear the shoes with ease, so you don’t need to exert lots of effort on your ankle ligaments in putting the shoes on and taking it off.
Its removable footbed and midsoles feature New Balance’s trademarked ABZORB technology. With the combination of its cushioning and compression resistance, it offers excellent shock absorption. The outsoles have deep flex grooves, allowing for a firm surface grip. The heels also contain added cushioning. With these features, your feet and ankle are protected as you walk.
2. Skechers Go Walk Joy Walking Shoe – Best womens shoes to wear with sprained ankle
- Lightweight and flexible
- Responsive 5Gen cushioning
- Skechers Goga Max high rebound insole
- Breathable mesh upper
- Soft fabric lining and padded collar
The Go Walk Joy Walking Shoes by Skechers are simple, but ergonomic shoes every woman would love. It’s soft upper and durable high rebound soles offer superior support for any form of foot injury. With its versatile style and various color options, you can wear these shoes anywhere and pair it with any casual clothes.
Whether you’re wearing it for work or just strolling at the park, the Go Walk Joy Walking Shoes allows you to walk with comfort.
Features
The Go Walk Joy has a one piece, breathable, fabric mesh upper. This material features a natural expansion ability. It expands as you walk, allowing your feet to have that nice little room while still ensuring a snug fit. This feature is especially helpful for people with foot and ankle injury.
The inside has a super squishy Goga Max rebound insole that provides your feet with impressive soft cushioning. It also has an innovative 5GEN midsole which offers a great extra cushioning and is highly responsive in absorbing shock as you walk. The patterned outsoles contribute to gait stability on any surface, ensuring that you have a smooth walk.
What’s great about the Go Walk Joy Walking Shoes is it is super lightweight and flexible. It bends and wiggles at every angle, adapting to the movement of your feet. With these shoes, you would truly experience the joy of genuine comfort.
3. ASICS Women’s Gel-Nimbus 18 Running Shoe – Best Running Shoes For Ankle Support
- FluidRide
- Rearfoot and Forefoot GEL Cushioning Systems
- FluidFit
- Heel Clutching System
- Seamless Construct
If you are looking for a durable pair of shoes with a plush fit and a comfortable lacing system, the ASICS Women’s Gel Nimbus 18 is the right choice for you.
Designed for the neutral walker, these shoes efficiently enhance your gait and add an extra mid-foot structure for better stability and support for your injured ligaments. The performance of Gel-Nimbus 18 will make you happy and comfortable.
Feature
The ASICS Women’s Gel-Nimbus 18 has a smooth fitting upper that features ASICS fluid fit technology. This adopts to the foot, giving you a glove-like fit. It has a 13 millimeter heel to toe offset, making at a premium daily walking and running shoes.
The seamless upper construction reduces the likelihood of irritation you get from traditional stitches and seams. It also features a lace up upper for a snug fit.
Inside, it offers a really soft fabric lining with a ASICS’ trademarked Comfort Dry X-40 sockliner, so you can keep your feet fresh and dry all day long. The midsole contains a fluid ride technology that provides cushioning and bounce back property.
The forefoot and rear foot have a gel cushioning system that lessens the shock during impact and aligns movement in multiple plains during the gait cycle.
One stunning feature of the Gel Nimbus 18 is its gender specific cushioning that uses a lower density midsole that allows the women to better enjoy midsole compression benefits.
At the bottom, the shoes feature a Guidance Trusstic System that supplies and enhances the gait efficiency without compromising midfoot structural integrity. It uses a vertical flex groove to decouple the tooling along the line of progression for maximum strength.
4. RYKA Women’s Tenacity Cross-Trainer Shoe
- Synthetic and breathable mesh. Direct-Fuse and Flex Foil materials provide support while velcro strap over midfoot gives her a secure fit.
- Precise-Return footbed.
The Ryka Women’s Tenacity Cross- Trainer Shoes is a functional footwear that combines foot support with street fashion. With a full length upper that provides additional support for an injured ankle, you can rock these trainers in any casual activity. The Tenacity Cross Trainer also makes a good pair of dance and gym shoes, so it is still a very useful shoe even when your injury has healed.
Features
Coming at a weight of about 10 ounces, the Ryka Tenacity Cross Trainers is lightweight. It allows you to walk without forcing your injured ankle to carry extra weight. It has a breathable mesh upper with a direct foil and flex material throughout. This feature allows the shoes to give your foot some added support.
It has an efficient lacing system attached to the overlays for a glove like fit. It also has a hook and loop tab in front, ensuring that the shoes snugly fit even when you need to loosen the laces a bit. The interior is lined with soft fabric and a dual foam insole. Its midsole helps absorb shock. It also has an added heel reinforcement to give you added stability.
5. HOKA ONE ONE Womens Bondi 5 Running Shoe
If you need stylish all around shoes you can use for casual walks and gentle runs, consider Hoka One One’s Bondi 5 Running Shoes for women. These shoes have thick soles that offer superior shock absorption. The Bondi 5 is great not only for people with ankle injuries, but for those with plantar fasciitis and neuroma.
Features
The Bondi 5 is designed for the underpronators and neutral walkers and runners. It has an open engineered mesh upper with 3D Puff Frame Synthetic overlays, providing the shoes with extra support. Its lace up closure ensures a secure fit and the pull tab at the back allows for ease in taking the shoes on and off.
Some great features of these shoes are its roomy toe box, well-cushioned interior and foam padded tongue. The ortholite removable footbed gives you plenty of cushioning. Bondi 5 also features a full length EVA footbed that features an early stage meta rocker that takes much of the weight off your ankle. Its outsoles have zonal rubber placements, making the shoes’ high wear areas more durable.
6. Brooks Women’s Addiction 14
Brook’s Women’s Addiction 14 is a classy looking shoe that provides maximum support for comfortable and pain free walks and runs. It has a generous fit and a wide toe box, making it suitable for people who are recovering from sprained ankle injury.
Features
The Addiction 14 has breathable mesh upper that keeps your feet fresh, especially during hot weathers and a lace up cover ensuring a secure fit. It has a roomy toe box designed to help with the natural gripping motion of your toes as you walk or run.
The midsole has a 12 millimeter drop and adopts Brook’s Bio MoGo technology to provide a long lasting cushioning for heel strikers. It comes with a removable foam footbed with a contour shape to support the arches. The outsoles are designed with segmented crash pads at the heel to give your every step a smooth landing.
7. Clarks Women’s Maymie Skye Boot
- Boot featuring accent strap and trio of buttons at shaft
- Chunky block heel
- Inside zipper
- Breathable lining
If you feel like you need shoes that could wrap your ankle for full protection, Clark’s Women’s Maymie Skye Boot is the right footwear for you. This fashionable footwear ensures your foot is protected and you don’t get any additional injuries while your ankle sprain is still recovering.
Features
The Maymie Skye Boot is made with a genuine leather upper. It has beautiful details throughout and faux buttons at the side for added style. It has a zipper at the instep for convenience in wearing.
The interior has a soft fabric lining, offering a next to skin comfort. You don’t need to worry about irritation and rashes when the material rubs on your feet and legs. The footbed inside is super soft and squishy, it absorbs impact well. These boots have a 2 inch chunky block heel and a flexible rubber outsole that adds to your stability. Fashion meets comfort with Clarks Maymie Skye Boot.
8. VANS Sk8-Hi Unisex Casual High-Top Skate Shoes
The Van’s Sk8 Hi-Top Skate Shoes is an affordable gender neutral shoe for people in any age group. These classic skate high shoes are light and comfortable to use. Its modern look and support features make it a great choice for people who want to look stylish while getting ample foot protection while recovering from a sprain.
Features
Vans SK8 Hi Top Skate Shoes features a combination of soft suede and durable canvas upper. It has a lace up design that goes all the way up, ensuring you of a snug and secure fit. The contrast stitching on high wear areas makes the shoes more durable and adds to its style. The shoes’ tongue and collar have fabric lining for protection from rashes and skin irritation.
Its high top silhouette offers excellent ankle support, giving you peace of mind as you wear it while recovering from sprain. Inside it has a comfy cushioned footbed that keeps your feet comfy with each step you make.
Vans equipped SK8’s midsoles with their comfy cushion system that effectively absorbs shock. It is very flexible as well. The rubber outsoles have the classic waffle pattern tread for added grip on any surface.
Also Read: A list of running shoes for old runners
What Things To Look For When Buying Best Shoes To Wear with Sprained Ankle?
Collar and Ankle Support
Consider buying shoes with ample support to protect your healing ankle. Check the shoes’ collar. Make sure that it is well padded so your shoes don’t add more damage to your already existing injury.
Opening
Choose a pair of shoes with a wide opening so you don’t need to excessively flex your foot as you wear your shoes or as you take it off. This will help prevent your ankle ligaments from over stretching. Shoes with lace up closures allow you to adjust its opening for an easy on and off.
Flexibility
Wearing stiff shoes may put more strain on your recovering ankle. Choose a footwear that flexes according to the movement of your toes, so you don’t have to intensely work your ankle ligaments as it recovers from the sprain.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can footwear prevent ankle sprain?
The right footwear can prevent ankle sprain. Most footwear recommended for people with weak ankles have heel drops. This feature redistributes the body’s weight decreasing instability and reducing the likelihood of sprains.
- Is it okay to wear shoes if you have an ankle sprain?
You can wear shoes even if you have a sprained ankle. There are supportive footwear that help in your long term recovery. Choose a sturdy but flexible set of shoes with wide openings and lots of ankle support.
- Are high tops good for ankle support?
High Top shoes are good for ankle support. Wearing high tops reduces the amount of ankle inversion, and thus reducing the risk for ankle sprains as compared to low top shoes.
Conclusion
Wearing the right recovery shoes for your ankle sprain is crucial for its recovery. Shoes that are flexible, well-cushioned at the collar, and have wide openings offer you ample protection while your ankle heals from the injury. The brands reviewed are among the best shoes for ankle sprains in the market. By matching any of the shoe models above with your personal needs and preferences, you’d be able to decide on the best pair of shoes for sprained ankle for you.
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