OPED VACOtalus Ankle Brace for sprains, Achilles Injuries, Support, Tendon Injuries

I wasn't hopeful. I experienced an accident in 2010 which severed the nerves in my left leg, at the knee. It left me with a foot drop and zero lateral stability in my ankle. Walking was perilous. Constantly. I've tried many types of braces. Even ones custom formed to fit...all resulting in no appreciable benefit. I can walk with the foot drop, but the lateral instability causes immediate over supination. Until now. The OPED VACOTALUS brace has changed everything! Providing the stability I thought wasn't possible, and has stopped the consistent rolling my ankle with every step. In fact... I feel like I'm walking nearly as well as I did before the accident 15 yrs ago. I'm stunned actually. I cannot believe how it felt to walk nearly normal again with a feeling of confidence, even security, in every step. If I could wish for anything different, is that the brace would be slightly larger. I'm a large guy... 6'1"...275lbs and wear a size 13 shoe. I can utilize this brace as is, but can see if it was slightly larger, it may be better fitting. But still, I'm so thankful to have found this brace. I definitely recommend it for anyone needing similar support.

LIke: Adjustable fit. Talus support makes a huge difference for my talar dome injury. Very sturdy. Probably would have re injured myself walking without it in the 6 months after my injury. Dislike: Some of the material is pretty hard and can cut into your flesh - requires a full length sock. Bulky, and has pretty much deformed any shoes I’ve worn with it. Don’t expect to wear this with anything other than a sandal or sneaker type shoe. Can make very low cut shoes slip off. Overall: Product was shipped promptly and seems a good value for the price. Definitely does its job. Will last a long time. I wish they made a softer version for more casual protection now that I don’t need quite so much support. In some ways it’s the most comfortable ankle brace I’ve ever worn. Obviously far more comfortable / versatile than the walking boot in later recovery.

I have worn a large plastic AFO for many years and am trying to wean myself off due to severe calf atrophy. I researched this product and bought it because it offers ankle stability. I have worn it for 5 days now and it works just as well as the AFO I wore for years. I can feel my calf starting to kick in some too. My best friend told me it looks better too "more like a sports injury an less like a medical appliance". Down side: I am not crazy about the neon coloring. It does not match my clothing very well.

It's been a year since I shattered my right ankle and had it repaired with pins and plates. I devoutly did my PT exercises. I'm nearing 70 years old. I've tried a variety of ankle products with no real steadfast assistance for the pain. Not the side with the plate, but the inner ankle bone with 3 screws sporadically would shoot pain up my leg to the point of almost making me collapse. Any unexpected twist or slight turn would have me grabbing for anything for support. I'm not embarrassed to use a cane. But carrying a laundry basket or groceries while using a cane is not functional. I bought this brace. It's a little pricey...have to use it in a wide shoe ( I already had some upper sizes while healing. It's a tie shoe so my toes just have extra wiggle room. Brooks). I have been helping on the farm for harvest...walking with no issues...even on uneven ground...and stepping on walnuts that have fallen off trees. It's given me the support and confidence I needed. It even seems to be helping with the pain in my left hip. Very little ankle discomfort...just a little over the plate. I know everyone's injuries are different. I know it won't fit in every shoe I own. However, when I do take it off at night, my leg and ankle both feel stronger and more flexible without discomfort. Maybe my foot gets lined up appropriately with the brace. It took about a half day to adjust to wearing it. It's not invisible. It feels like a brace. But I would recommend it in heartbeat. It's definitely engineered differently than others...offers excellent support which helps alleviate pain and boost confidence. It's adjustable. I wear a size 7-8 shoe and purchased a small. There is padding on the interior for both ankle bones. I'm not ready for the rocking chair yet!

This might be OK for sprains but did nothing to relieve my Achilles tendon issue also after wearing it for 6–8 hours front of your ankle gets rubbed raw. Didn’t matter how much padding I put there.

Don’t waste your money with this product. Just like you are contemplating, I was willing to give this brace a try so I ordered it to check it out. The product is over manufactured and complicated in its design without providing any additional stability to the ankle; certainly no more than any other much more comfortable and user friendly ankle brace. The brace felt cumbersome on my ankle and was not comfortable for the brief period I tried it on in my house. Btw, I’m a physician, and have tried and used many other products which I found to be easier to use and more comfortable to wear without sacrificing stability to the ankle. Finally, to top it off, I returned the product in completely new condition, all labels and packaging intact and this seller charged me a “restocking” fee even though it clearly states that a fee of up to 50% “may” be charged on “used or damaged” items. So, bottom line, save your money and time, look at other products.

this is an innovative support that i expect will be useful in the next few months as ligaments heal from my grade II ankle sprain. it is adjustable and comfortable, and fits well. it feels like compression and rigid support in one brace, stabilizing the ankle, yet is comfortable and flexible enough that it does not interfere with movement. i read reviews to get an idea what size to order, and it fit as hoped. it slips more easily into a sneaker than i imagined it would; however, it does not fit into the ankle-high paddock boots that i use for horseback riding, nor does it allow me to get my leg into zip-up tall riding boots. for working around the barn and farm, as long as i pair it with a sneaker, it offers noticeable stability, alleviating my fear that i will roll my ankle again while it is still vulnerable to re-injury. i can't imagine this brace would be comfortable immediately after an injury when ankle swelling is acute, but it seems just right for supporting long-term recovery (post-injury days 10 and on) when swelling is minimal to absent but damaged ligaments are still healing. kudos to whoever designed this ankle support for active-oriented recovery!

Thanks to a stroke several ago, I supinate and have moderate foot drop on one side. I am also an avid cyclist on a competitive amateur level. I have tried every brace, from full heavy duty medical, to "over-the-counter" braces like Zamst and Aircast - both excellent provided you don't have foot drop. I have spent many hundreds of dollars experimenting with, attempting to modify, and suffering miserably with braces that never worked the way I wanted them to. I wanted a brace that controlled the supination, helped me with the foot drop, and was comfortable and reasonably stealthy. All I ever got over the years was constant back pain, foot pain, increasingly diminished balance, and very poor gait. When I saw the Vacotalus brace, I chuckled a bit at the talus strap - it just seemed a bit gimmicky (it is actually one of the best features of this brace). And it was a few coins so I almost passed it by. But I decided to take a chance and I am so very glad I did. After putting it on, the first things I discovered was that it was easy, very light, but incredibly it completely restored my balance and gave me almost normal heel strike and gait. I still can't believe it. I have now put it to the test in pretty much every demanding situation-heavy bike riding, challenging terrain. When I need it, and about the only time I realize I'm wearing it, is when I need its support. And it is there, and provides the immediate support I need to feel confident. He really has been quite life-changing, actually. I now find myself working on unlearning all the terrible habits I fell into over the past several years. I'll buy another one soon, just so I'll have two. It totally works for me. But, if you are reading this review and you have a similar foot drop issue - but are in the high moderate or more level of foot drop, you might need something a little more heavy duty. The Step Smart brace is excellent but a bit more industrial than I needed at this point. Update: I had a chance to try out the effectiveness of this brace in the real world. I’m going down the flight of stairs, I missed a step and landed on my braced left foot, a drop of approximately 4 feet. Had I not been wearing the Oped Vacotalus brace, I would have turned my ankle, either sprained or broken, and fallen. Instead, I landed almost completely flat and stable, startled but otherwise perfectly fine. I’ve tried just about every competitors brace. None would have worked so well. Not even close.