Prevent and Protect Injuries With These Supportive Ankle Sleeves (2024)

Key Specs

• Materials: Polyester, elastic rubber, nylon
• Stretch: Adjustable stiffness with compression strap
• Sizing: One size fits most

The Sleeve Stars ankle sleeve is an all-around bullseye for pain relief and injury recovery anywhere in the foot or ankle. It has a compressive sock that slips onto your foot, and a strap surrounding the foot and ankle that allows you to customize the level of support you need.

Compression improves blood circulation, which reduces swelling and pain. It’s designed for high levels of activity, so while you log miles, this ankle sleeve comfortably wicks moisture away from your feet and flexes with your natural stride. This ankle sleeve is perfect for runners looking to prevent injuries anywhere in the foot, or for those coming back from an ankle sprain.

Key Specs

• Materials: Polyester
• Stretch: Stiffer through arch and heel
• Sizing: Women’s 6/Men’s 5 through Women’s 13/Men’s 12

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common injuries plaguing runners. For some, it is treated by a week or two of rest. For many others, it’s a chronic condition that flares up during intense periods of training. At the first onset of any pain in the heel or lower foot, it’s time to use this ankle sleeve.

The Pro-Tec PF foot sleeve compresses the heel, arch, and Achilles to reduce swelling and improve circulation in these areas, which offers relief from pain during runs or throughout the day when treating a case of plantar fasciitis. This is great for runners who are looking to prevent PF during intense training cycles, or for daily use for those currently healing.

Key Specs

• Materials: Nylon/spandex
• Stretch: Rigid surrounding achilles, stretch through foot and ankle
• Sizing: S-XL

Achilles tendinitis can be a long and recurring injury for runners. Whenever I feel that familiar strain or twinge of soreness above my heel, I immediately grab this ankle sleeve. Two gel pads surround the Achilles tendon, which provides support, stabilization, and compression where it’s needed.

This both relieves pain and reduces swelling in this area. It fits quite snugly and rigidly around the Achilles, but throughout the rest of the foot and ankle there is still plenty of flexibility and range of motion. This is the perfect ankle sleeve for runners coming back from an Achilles injury, or those who battle chronic soreness in this area.

Because of the bulk from the gel pads, I find it works best with low-rise or thinner socks.

Key Specs

• Materials: 75 percent nylon, 25 percent spandex
• Stretch: Spandex for full range of motion
• Sizing: Small-XL

The Zensah compression ankle sleeve is the perfect all-around option for runners who are looking to alleviate swollen or sore joints in the ankle and feet. A variety of factors, like heat or dehydration, can cause our ankles to uncomfortably swell. This is where compressive ankle sleeves really shine, by increasing circulation and blood flow in the targeted area, which reduces swelling and soreness.

I love this Zensah option because it fits easily over or under a sock without any chafing or rubbing, and you still have full range of motion. Furthermore, it can also be worn post-run to decrease swelling and soreness throughout the rest of the day.

Key Specs

• Materials: Nylon
• Stretch: Multidirectional, contouring the ankle
• Sizing: Women’s 6/Men’s 5 through Women’s 13/Men’s 12

The best way to treat injuries is to keep them from happening in the first place. This ultra-minimal ankle sleeve supports and stabilizes while running, without you noticing it’s there. It fits just like a sock, but has extra compression to increase blood flow and reduce swelling.

Furthermore, you can add additional stitching anywhere on this sleeve to target more support in any given area. This product is perfect for trail runners who want more support on technical trails, or road runners who need a bit of extra help recovering while upping miles.

Key Specs

• Materials: Latex-free neoprene
• Stretch: Stiff around ankle
• Sizing: One size fits most

This heavier-duty ankle brace provides the support you need while treating an injury, while still giving you some room to move. Bodyprox uses a stretchy elastic material that can still easily fit under a running shoe. This sleeve is intended to be used for injury prevention, or when first starting to run after healing an ankle sprain or twist. It provides excellent stabilization, compression, and support to help weakened ankles keep from rolling while running.

This is a great product for runners with chronically weak ankles, or those first coming back after being sidelined with an ankle injury.

Key Specs

• Materials: Nylon and neoprene
• Stretch: Immobilizes the foot under ankle
• Sizing: Small - large

Back in my team sports days, lace-up ankle braces were a must for basketball. The combination of a secure lace-up fit and compressive straps make for an incredibly secure and supportive fit around the ankle. These are meant to prevent and treat ankle-specific injuries, and they do affect your range of motion.

This ankle sleeve is great for runners who are slowly getting back to it after an injury, but it will affect running performance if you're trying to go fast or run down technical trails.

Key Specs

• Materials: Active knit fabric made in Germany
• Stretch: Rigid fit around ankle bone, flexibility through foot
• Sizing: 1-6; based on ankle circumference

If you’re looking for a solution to chronic ankle/foot discomfort and swelling, this is it. This brace provides medical grade compression and support, while still giving you enough range of motion to run. Additionally, two soft pads surround your ankle bone and massage the joints while you move.

For runners who have had previous ankle injuries and are looking to stay healthy, this is a great preventive tool and it also works well following more recent pains and strains. While most sleeves can be worn on either foot, these are specifically designed for either a right or left foot to provide the most support and compression possible.

Key Specs

• Materials: Silicone gel and elastic
• Stretch: Rigid underfoot, flexible through ankle
• Sizing: One size fits most

Struggling with arch and foot pain during and after runs? While a solid insole also provides extra arch support, this ankle sleeve wraps snugly around the midsection of your foot to compress and relieve pain in this area. It’s designed like many of the compressive sleeves listed above, with an extra strap that wraps around your foot to provide extra support. This increases blood circulation and reduces swelling, which allows you to run and recover without pain in the bottom of your feet.

Bear in mind that the strap does create a bit of extra bulk, so it works best with roomier shoes and thinner socks.

Key Specs

• Materials: Neoprene with mesh venting
• Stretch: Compressive surrounding ankle
• Sizing: S-3XL

The SENTEQ ankle brace is designed specifically for athletes coming back from ankle injuries. It simply slips over the foot and compresses around the ankle and Achilles tendon. The neoprene material makes it suitable for land and water sports, and helps wick moisture and sweat away from your feet as you move.

Because of its minimalist design, it’s incredibly easy to wear under any running shoes. Before you order, you’ll want to measure the circumference of your ankle, and size up if you’re dealing with chronic swelling.