Best/stiffest ankle brace for biking?

Okay so interesting question for you amateur ortho mags. I had a spinal cord injury in '05 that really put a damper on the nerve activity in the back of my legs and especially in my calf muscles. So I have had the opposite program of drop foot, where I can pull up relatively strongly but can't push down strongly enough to stand on my toes. This doesn't present as many problems skiing since the boots are so stiff and you can ski modern shapes in an easy neutral stance, but mtn biking has been a more interesting situation. I stand with the pedals just ahead of my heels (where my base of powder/stability is), and I don't feel 100% stable still and have big flexion in my ankles - it's hard to get them anywhere near close to being flat.

I ride on flat pedals with the braces below, which I initially had to help me walk when I was just starting to rehab. The durometer (rubber flexy pivot at the ankle joint) is supposed to put a little spring in my step, and every year I've gone through hoops with the original bracemaker to get the stiffest rubber joints he has, but they wear out quick and on their own aren't quite strong enough to keep my feet as flat as I'd like them to be on the pedals, even using these clunky high-top bike shoes:

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...20548610_o.jpg

I've also tried any of the ankle braces you could get at a pharmacy off the shelf, but none of them lock my ankle down enough, and they don't go far enough down the foot to keep it flat and down. I'm basically trying to turn my bike shoes/brace setup into a ski boot. Anybody got any good recommendations for a super stiff ankle brace they've used for biking? I'd prefer it barely moved at all except for when I'm trying to hike a bike or something. Some semi-solid brace like this seems like it could be a solution, but this particular one seems pretty flimsy. Thanks mags!

Beast toe piece riveted to a crankbros egg beater and a pair of vulcans

I used the s-one stabilizer for skating. I have a real bad right ankle and would roll it almost withut fail. I would have had to quit when I was in my teens had I not found something to work. Finally found this thing and loved it. May not be burly enough for your injury, but it couldn't hurt to check out.

http://www.s-onestore.com/servlet/th...e-Brace/Detail

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Originally Posted by systemoverblow'd

I used the s-one stabilizer for skating. I have a real bad right ankle and would roll it almost withut fail. I would have had to quit when I was in my teens had I not found something to work. Finally found this thing and loved it. May not be burly enough for your injury, but it couldn't hurt to check out.

http://www.s-onestore.com/servlet/th...e-Brace/Detail

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Hmm. Used a similarly looking walgreens brace that was decent laterally but didn't provide much fore/aft pushback. Did it help you much on that front?

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...cop/robo12.jpg

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Originally Posted by Ryan Dunfee

Hmm. Used a similarly looking walgreens brace that was decent laterally but didn't provide much fore/aft pushback. Did it help you much on that front?

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It's better than those drug store ACE ones, that is for sure. But it probably won't be as good fore/aft like those plastic things you got now, that is for sure. It locked my ankle enough so that I had to relearn all my flip-tricks as my ankle couldn't move enough to skate at first.

Between my fallen arches and loopy ankle, it treated me good. You might need something a little burlier however.

The robocop/ironman treatment above may not be a bad idea :D

ever consider motocross boots?
won't even need spd holes since you run flat.

Attachment 154552

For biking purposes, it sounds like you need something stiffer than a regular hinged AFO (which is what you have pictured). The same braces used for drop foot (that prevent your foot from flopping down) will also prevent the pedals from pushing your foot up. One thing that could work is a hinged AFO that has a block to dorsiflexion so you can't flex up your foot past neutral, though again longevity of the brace may be an issue. Another is an Allard Brace, which is carbon fiber ankle brace designed for people to prevent ankle motion, but it allows some rebound through the carbon fiber limb (Google "Allard Brace" and you'll see some pics). Part of the issue you may run into is that some ankle motion is beneficial for pedaling, but you need something to prevent your foot from going up in the down pedal. Thankfully, these types of braces (as opposed to orthotics) are frequently covered by insurance.

Best of luck!

Get BREG or some other to make you a custom. If you're doing this for life its worth the investment.

Thanks mags... iscariot those BREG braces seem crazy bulky, but definitely Robocop sturdy. Orthoski those Allard braces seem like the kind of construction I'd be looking for, this kind in particular: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tynor-AFO-Dr...3D120900154651. 1 strap 2/3 of the way down the forefoot, and two on the calf. Rigid construction elsewhere. These Ebay ones are super cheap, although the plastic doesn't appear to be super strong. I found this one: http://www.ossur.com/injury-solution...is/afo-dynamic out of carbon fiber, but all these seemed tailored to the "rigors" of walking vs. hard impact activity.

This setup from X Strap seems like an option, too: http://www.x-strap.com/products/Dors...nteed-3-3.html. Effectively adding a shin tongue to your shoes, but it doesn't sound like a super sturdy solution.

And F#*k your cat, those moto boots are just a little too aggro for me... plus biking around with those in the summer would be sure to be a sweat factory I'd have to imagine. But I do feel like I used to see DH racers wear those, no?

The plastic ones may indeed not be strong enough. Those Allard (or similar) braces are carbon fiber and run in the hundreds of dollars each, but they should be covered by insurance given that you have a very real medical need. They'll stand up to much more force than the ones you linked to in your post - if you grab one in your hand you can't really bend it at all, but it stores some rebound power through the strut. My rec is to go see an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in F&A, and they'll generally each have a brace fabricator whom they trust. I can't imagine a surgeon that wouldn't be super-psyched to work with someone as motivated as yourself to figure out how to get you back on a mountain bike after a spinal cord injury. That's why we do what we do.

Duffs

Miles Rockwell was running moto boots for DH back in the day when NORBA Nationals was at Vail and Deer Valley. mid-90's

CAT

You might also get the help you need from a physical medicine doctor (physiatrist, PM and R doc). Main thing is to find a doc of whatever specialty who seems genuinely interested and experienced in your type of problem. Probably not the kind of thing you want to try to deal with on your own, unless you have lousy insurance.

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Originally Posted by old goat

You might also get the help you need from a physical medicine doctor (physiatrist, PM and R doc). Main thing is to find a doc of whatever specialty who seems genuinely interested and experienced in your type of problem. Probably not the kind of thing you want to try to deal with on your own, unless you have lousy insurance.

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Yeah I guess I gotta see what the deal is with orthotics and physical supports before I take another step with this thing, huh?

Went biking for the first time in a bit this weekend and ankles, calves and knees all felt stronger after this long weekend of ski touring, which is an awesome surprise!

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Originally Posted by Ryan Dunfee

Yeah I guess I gotta see what the deal is with orthotics and physical supports before I take another step with this thing, huh?

Went biking for the first time in a bit this weekend and ankles, calves and knees all felt stronger after this long weekend of ski touring, which is an awesome surprise!

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Also--if that's you on the left, lose some weight.