DonJoy Performance Pod Ankle Brace, Left Medium, Black

I've been shopping around for an ankle foot brace and decided to try this because it's so different from the typical ones. Definitely easy to put on, fits easily (I have a relatively skinny ankle measuring 7 3/4 in with foot size mens 9.5), comfortable and fits inside of shoes. I wear it with a compression sock or sleeve underneath for a good fit. Some regular athletic socks seemed too fluffy or didn't quite stay put as well. Does it work? Depends on what you need... the POD brace allows for a flexible range of motion which makes it great to wear easily with your existing shoes if you're prone to rolling and spraining your ankles but otherwise functional and not injured. But it's not literally bracing your ankle if you have weak ankles. It's preventing ankle rolls/sprains because it limits the possible motion of your foot rolling inwards and keeps your foot aligned. I appreciated that there's still some range of motion so that I could wear the brace without my foot atrophying from being overly restricted unnecessarily. I don't have a sprain in this case however. I have posterior tibial tendonitis and just broke an accessory navicular bone (blah chronic injuries), so no this brace is NOT for my PTTD. I've been searching for something that supports the navicular bone where the posterior tibial tendon attaches in the arch closer towards the heel than most plantar fasciitis options support. This brace fortunately covers that spot and is almost rigid. It makes up the the difference between my navicular bone and orange Superfeet orthotic (for when I'm active) so I have rigid, full contact support right at my problem area. I'm also wearing a compression sock/sleeve underneath the brace so this whole franken orthotic situation gives me the most flexibility depending on if I'm just walking around casually or being active. My doctor was so uninterested my chronic, open-ended problem so I hope this review can help somebody out there.

This brace is better than any hiking boot at preventing ankle rolls. And it allows enough range of motion in my foot to take on fun steep trails, with confidence to boot! I have a problem ankle. My ligament is so stretched from prior severe strains that it dislocates for funsies and can and does roll with boots on, and also in the lace/strap up braces and other kinds of preventions. I've been so exasperated trying to find the solution of stabilizion while keeping some ROM of my foot and was at absolute wits end - until I hiked with this brace on in the Smokies this weekend. Game changer. Wow. I wish it were just a tad bit higher up over my ankle bone and on my leg. I'm not able to say it will prevent rolls in 100% of situations because it sits a little low, and it does cause some minor soreness over the bone. But overall, again, it is phenomenally close to perfect. Close enough to where I can hike without being terrified of injury again.

I haven't used it with my boot for work yet, I imagine it will feel the same as now or like the solid Velcro style. The added poly plate really makes a big difference. Pretty amazing cheap tech. If this fails I will result to leather wrap of sorts, and return. I don't see a reason to return. I dig in the dirt it probably isn't made for this but I also have a sprangled ankle. It's easy to put on and feels the best. At first I wasn't sure it was tight enough, well it is.. The bottom also adjusts! not just around your ankle. Will take some getting used to.

Uncomfortable

I really wanted to love this. I have hEDS and my ankles like to roll on me. It feels great around my ankle. But the part that goes around my foot I couldn’t get sized right. Small was too small, medium was too big. They could use some extra size options to make the fit more tailored.

The company is known to make pretty good products. I can't really provide a review about the quality or effectiveness of the brace. I returned mine because it was too large. I normally wear a size 11 and assumed a large would fit. However, this seems to be about 2 sizes too large. I think there is a chart with measurements to assist in fitting. I'm not sure if it's foot length or ankle circumference.

I have Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis for years due to a fallen arch. I wear custom orthotics. Nothing has helped with the limp I have developed. Especially when trying to stand and step from sitting. This brace helps support my arch and I can walk without pain and without a limp. It does rub the outside of my ankle so you must wear a sock under it-then it’s fine. I even wear it to sleep so that if I get up I can walk without pain at night.

I have a bone spur on the back of my heel, where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel. It will likely eventually need to be surgically removed (I had this done with my other heel), but until then this brace is doing a very good job of relieving a significant amount of daily pain. Since my pain comes from stretching my calf, a brace like this which limits forward/backward motion of the lower leg relative to the heel works by relieving that calf stretch. I used this brace on one foot prior to surgery for several months, and now on the other foot. So I probably have around 6-7 months total experience using the brace. I have found the brace to be easy to put on and long-lasting. Two problems: 1) The velcro on the bottom doesn't fully cover the hook part, so socks or (if barefoot) even carpet or a blanket can be problematic. My solution was to use a fabric cuff that wraps around my foot to cover the exposed velcro. (Search for "compression arch sleeves" on Amazon, or go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z6843DK .) 2) It is sometimes difficult to get the tongue of my shoe to fit over the top/front of this brace. It takes 15 seconds at most to fix it, so not a big deal. Anyway, the compression arch sleeve mentioned in the previous issue helps out on this one too. I have tried and used many orthotics and braces for several joints over the past several years, and based on my experience this is a good one. It certainly costs a fair amount, but I have put this thing through a lot - I disc golf nearly every day wearing it - and it has performed quite well.