Top 5 Ankle Supports for Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendon injuries can occur due to a whole range of reasons, but the healing process required for Achilles tendonitis can be a long and painful one. These injuries do not heal overnight and require a great deal of care and support to fully recover. If left untreated, a damaged Achilles tendon can lead to pain and loss of flexibility. 

An Achilles tendon brace can go a long way to ensuring a fast and effective recovery. They are designed to support, stabilise and compress the Achilles tendon, which helps to ease pain while protecting the ankle from further injury. We tested a variety of braces to find the Top 5 Ankle Supports for Achilles Tendonitis, and ranked them here to save you time on research.

What Will This Guide Cover?

This article will showcase our top ankle braces for Achilles tendonitis, to help you recover with confidence so that you can start moving again.

• Best Overall Achilles Tendonitis Support
• Best Achilles Tendonitis Support for Athletes
• Best Compression Achilles Tendonitis Support
• Best Adjustable Achilles Tendonitis Support
• Best Offloading Achilles Tendonitis Support

Our Top Five Achilles Tendonitis Supports

Best Overall Achilles Tendonitis Support

The Aircast AirHeel Ankle Brace is by far the best overall option for Achilles tendonitis. This support applies pulsating compression to your ankle with every step, reducing swelling and discomfort.

• Beat-by-beat compression improves blood circulation and recovery
• Two interconnected air cells provide a gentle, compressive massage
• Supports both the arch and Achilles tendon
• Low-profile design can be worn while wearing shoes

Why We Love It: It's low profile means it can be worn with most footwear, and the combination of massage and compression provides superb relief.

Best Achilles Tendonitis Support for Athletes

The Ultimate Performance Ultimate Achilles Tendon Support is specially designed to facilitate active people with Achilles injuries. Constructed from a soft tube, the support is the perfect companion for runners and athletes.

• Makes the heel rise earlier to reduce tendon strain
• Limits Achilles flexion to prevent further damage
• Supports and compresses the ankle to provide steady relief
• Adjustable strap ensures the ideal fit and compression

Why We Love It: Provides moderate ankle support without making it harder to run, so it's the perfect choice for athletes.

Best Compression Support for Achilles Tendonitis

For more minor cases of Achilles tendonitis, compression is all that may be needed to help ease pain. The Actimove Everyday Compression Ankle Support compresses and insulates the ankle joint, boosting blood flow and maintaining healthy alignment. This helps reduce pain while retaining ankle flexibility and range of movement.

• Offers balanced compression for healing and injury prevention
• Ceramic fibres insulates the ankle with soothing heat
• Light and low-profile design suitable for variety of footwear
• Simple slip-on design for easy donning and doffing

Why We Love It: Delivers therapeutic compression throughout the entire ankle to aid circulation, reduce pain and alleviate stiffness.

Best Adjustable Achilles Tendon Support

The Bauerfeind AchilloTrain Achilles Tendon Support puts you in control of your recovery, with an adjustable insert that can be removed to allow greater movement freedom in the later stages of recovery. An anatomical Achilles pad also delivers a soothing massage effect for extra relief.

• Adjustable insert helps you control movement throughout recovery
• Anatomically contoured insert creates a soothing massage effect
• Padded heel cushion minimises the force of impacts during movement
• Comfy, breathable materials offer a superb feel for the skin

Why We Love It: Adjustable stay allows more flexibility during the course of recovery, and provides a soothing massage to the surrounding tissue.

Best Offloading Achilles Tendon Brace

Offloading is an excellent technique for relieving pressure on the Achilles tendon. Supplied with two pairs of soft, stackable, silicone heel pieces, the Thuasne Silisstab Achillo Brace offloads Achilles tension with every step.

• Raises the heel to offload pressure away from the tendon
• Three elevations offer varying degrees of support
• Provides medical-grade compression to help relieve pain
• Anatomically shaped to ensure optimal Achilles support

Why We Love It: The soft silicone heel pieces are easy to fit, and provide 3 offloading heights to significantly ease pressure.

Should I Use an Ankle Support to Recover From Achilles Tendonitis?

Vigorous exercises such as running or training can cause tendonitis, a condition which causes the tendons to swell and become extremely painful. Achilles tendonitis is reportedly the most common type of ankle injury to sustain during exercise, and carries the risk of damaging the flexibility and range of motion of your ankle if not treated properly.

You may be tempted to rest and simply abide the pain, but Achilles supports are often recommended by medical professionals to facilitate and speed up recovery time. They do this through a three-tiered approach:

• Stabilisation: Stabilise the ankle joint, preventing missteps and absorbing shock
• Compression: Compress the ankle, encouraging blood flow and recovery
• Support: Reinforce the Achilles tendon against accidental injury or future tears

Don't Let Your Achilles Injury Linger

It's important that Achilles tendon injuries are closely monitored, as a poorly rehabilitated Achilles can lead to pain and loss of flexibility down the line. Choosing the correct ankle support for Achilles tendonitis is important, as no one injury is the same, and each individual will require different levels of support and different lengths of recovery time.

If you're looking for more information about our range of ankle braces, our Ankle Brace category is filled with plenty more options for all sorts of ankle injuries.

Tags: Ankle Pain, Ankle Supports, Post Surgery