Help!! Choosing supportive shoe after injury

Discussion in 'Clothing & Footwear' started by color_wolf, May 7, 2020.

  1. color_wolf

    color_wolf Regular Member

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    I am trying to get back into badminton after suffering a catastrophic ankle injury last year.
    A little background on what happened... I was traveling and only had an 8 yr old pair of badminton shoes to play with. When I got on the court, I noticed that the rubber on the shoes didn't provide much traction, probably due to the rubber hardening (and maybe some dust from construction nearby), but continued playing anyways. I played a few games and everything was going ok so far, but during my last game I needed to stretch out wide to hit a forehand and my shoe slipped causing my ankle to roll. I am a big guy 6'1 210lbs, and my ankle bent all the way until it hit the floor. I ended up fracturing my ankle and also tearing 3 ligaments on the interior and anterior side of my ankle. The injury caused me to develop some knee pain after a few months as well, probably from compensating for the way I walked. After 10 months of physio I am considering getting back out on the court, but I am having fears of playing badminton again. With the lock down and my injury I have also gained a fair bit of weight the past 10 months and I am scared of re-injuring my ankle.

    Just wondering what shoes you guys would recommend me to get. I am looking at the Yonex 65 Z2 and the Comfort Z2. Which would provide better traction, support and comfort? Are there any other shoes out there that I should take a look at? Maybe a pair of basketball sneakers with higher ankle support (might give me some psychological confidence)?
     
  2. thyrif

    thyrif Regular Member

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    Oh man, that sounds like a terrible experience. I'm hesitant to give advice here because you have a specific injury, and I'd rather leave it to a professional. The best advice I can give is: shoes that fit well (no sliding or movement inside), and shoes that grip the floor well. So please fit them before you buy/play! Then just take it real easy please...

    I'm not sure higher shoes give much more support, there are also ankle straps and stuff that is made for that purpose.
     
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  3. Razor-BladE

    Razor-BladE Regular Member

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    That sounds horrible! Sorry to hear that.
    Thankfully that last time I rolled over my ankle was probably about 10 years ago, and it wasn't too bad, but I bought the Aircast A60 so that I could play and not have to worry about it too much.

    Before you play, you should definitely clear it with your physio first. Over the 10 months, they should be progressing the exercise so that the mobility/strength is getting back to normal use. Have they been prescribing exercise to help start getting back to sport specifically? Because if not, although you might not have any issues in day to day life, your ankle might not be ready for the intensity of sport, especially badminton.

    I know it can be difficult in this time, but focusing on healthy eating habits to shift some weight will definitely ease off pressure on the joints, especially in the long run. And regardless of when you're back to normal and playing again, keep up with strengthing/mobility work as that will help to avoid injury, if you weren't already doing so.
     
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  4. color_wolf

    color_wolf Regular Member

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    My physio has told me that it is ok to get back to playing but I have to slowly get back into things and not go all in right away. It sounds a little easier said than done. I am a competitive guy and am used to a certain level of play. I am just worried that I will do certain motions without even thinking about it and reacting to certain shots that I shouldn't be hitting.

    I have been doing all the exercises given to me by my physio and also doing a bit of weights at home, but I don't have access to a gym until they start to open up again. I probably also need to start stretching more because I feel like I have lost a lot of flexibility in my hamstrings and quads.

    I do plan on wearing an ankle brace while I play so I guess I will need to get a larger or wider shoe to fit in a brace while I play.
     
  5. shooting stroke

    shooting stroke Regular Member

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    Hi there,

    I've gone through multiple ankle injury (esp my right ankle) for this past 4 decades of playing. Regardless of the technology that current badminton shoes has, they are not designed to specifically support your ankle. You need an ankle support to do that while playing badminton. In this case an ankle brace would be the best choice in your situation. I've made a dedicated thread about ankle brace which you can refer below

    https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...the-correct-ankle-brace-for-badminton.149174/

    For your info, i've been using Aircast A60 for 7 years before gradually stop using it for this past 2 years as my ankle has improved much in stability. It has served extremely me well during those days and it's undoubtedly the king of ankle brace from my point of view. You don't need to get a larger shoes to use it and it will fit well. I maintained the size of my shoes during those several years while using it and it has not give any issue to me.
     
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  6. Scott Kam

    Scott Kam Regular Member

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    Apart from wearing an ankle brace, an insole with a bit firmer arch support might also help the stability.
     
  7. color_wolf

    color_wolf Regular Member

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    I do wear an ankle brace for tennis now. I haven't tried the Aircast A60 before. I used the Zamst ankle brace and now have moved on to the Aso ankle stabilizer. I feel the ASO is good enough for tennis but am more worried about badminton because of the harsher movement. I might give the Aircast a try for badminton when I start up again.
     
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  8. shooting stroke

    shooting stroke Regular Member

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    I've used other ankle brace brand earlier but when Andy Murray wears A60 for both of his ankle while was still active playing then I changed to A60
     
  9. Briyanihayakawa

    Briyanihayakawa Regular Member

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    sorry to hear about your injury. But yes listen to your physio. I have just come back from injury too, tore my ACL but not from badminton. One thing I learned or picked up is to activate all my muscles before playing. I would give myself a good 15minutes before I play. Muscles that I would activate, Calfs, quads, hamstring, GROIN, inner muscle close to the knee area, back, upper body. I would do a couple of agility drills also.

    In terms of shoes, I think those models are fine. I am using the ASICS Court Control FF and I think it has been doing well for me post injury.
     
  10. s_mair

    s_mair Regular Member

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    If you really want to have some phyiscal support and a safety net to avoid spraining your ankle again, there will be no way around a decent ankle brace. No shoe available can provide such an amount of support that prevents your ankle from rolling over in a case where you land with your full body weight on it.

    I'm using the Aircast A60 as well now for around 5 years don't want to miss it again. I had regular sprains before but zero since I'm using the A60s. They have a support structure that physically limits the angle that your ankle can roll sideways so it should be unlikely to impossible to roll it to a severely damaging angle. They are also kind of comfortable to wear - at least I do not notice them anymore after the first couple of minutes. I have tried several other braces over the years, but the A60 always ended up on top. Best alternative I've seen so far would be the Active Ankle T2 (https://www.activeankle.com/active-ankle-t2.html).

    The only real downside of the A60 imo is the longevity. With about 2 hours per week, I need to replace mine roughly every 12-15 months.
     
  11. DinB

    DinB Regular Member

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    Despite good cushioning, I don't think the comfort z 2 has a stable ankle support at all. It also lacks that extra hole for your laces to tie the "runner's knot" which helps tighten and stablize your heel. My suggestion is to actually go and try what feels best for you especially around the ankle. It doesn't have to be an expensive pair. A good fit is much more important in my opinion.
     
  12. Briyanihayakawa

    Briyanihayakawa Regular Member

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    Another option you can consider would be a mid cut Indoor shoe. These are indoor shoes but used mostly for Volleyball and so suitable for Badminton too. They provide some ankle support if you don't like wearing an ankle brace. Models that you can try are:

    ASICS Netburner Ballistic FF MT
    ASICS Sky Elite FF MT
    ASICS Swift FF MT
    Mizuno Wave Lightning Mid
    Mizuno Wave Tornado Mid

    have seen some of these models in the badminton court especially Wave lightning Mid

    Anyone tried these shoes for badminton before?
     

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