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.
Also, the fact that your hiking shoes are very expensive does not necessarily mean they offer more ankle support. In fact, I found that there are a lot of expensive hiking shoes that are heavily outclassed by quite a few cheap hiking shoes or even good cheap trail running shoes (yes, trail runners can be great for hiking)
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:
https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/13910/is-ankle-support-a-myth
https://backpackinglight.com/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
Ankle Support Brace – Stabilizing
Hiking boots vs hiking shoes
As I mentioned before, hiking boots vs hiking shoes is the topic of a never-ending discussion. I also talked about this in my other article: Hiking sneakers: are they any good?.
So, will high-topped hiking boots actually prevent more ankle injuries than hiking shoes? A lot of people will claim that the answer on this question is yes. However, I found that – as long as you have completely healthy ankles – the answer on this question is not that easy to answer. Studies do not provide clear proof that a high-topped shoe will actually prevent ankle injuries.
Some studies even stated that there can be a big difference between different kinds of high-topped shoes. The overall quality and sizing almost seem to be more important than the fact that it is a high, mid or low shoe. The shoe should properly fit and a high quality sole is required to provide more ankle support. Some sources even claim that the heel cup in the sole is more important than anything else when it comes to ankle support. While I couldn’t find any studies that support this statement, I had no troubles believing this is true.
That said, a good high-topped shoe will limit your ankle movement, which might prevent an injury. However, most hikers will not require this movement limitation. They might think that they need this because it feels trusted/comfortable, but they probably don’t.
Only when you are recovering from an injury or have weak ankles, you might actually need additional ankle support. However, if this is the case, you might need to look at ankle braces, these will provide a lot more support.
Hiking boots can provide other benefits like protection from rocks, roots, etc. Additionally, hiking boots are recommended in very cold areas where you will encounter snow and ice. They are also far more optimal for creating steps in frozen snow than hiking shoes.
Conclusion
I encourage you to go through the studies that I mentioned in this article. There is always an interpretation factor when it comes to drawing conclusions based on facts.
In my opinion ankle support is not a myth. It is however, a very overused and overvalued term. Hiking boots can in fact help a little bit when it comes to supporting the ankle because it can limit the movement. However, most hikers do not require the ankle support everyone is talking about.
A lot of hikers seem to think they need it. When switching to a low-topped hiking shoe after wearing a hiking boot for a long time, the feeling might be very uncomfortable. Most of the time you just need some time to get used to your new shoes.
If you truly need ankle support, a hiking boot might help a little bit, but you probably want to take a look at ankle support braces instead.
If you are considering to give low-topped hiking shoes a try, do not let the ankle support argument hold you back. It’s just not that important as you might think, as long as you have healthy ankles.