1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally pertains to an ankle brace which enables the wearer to participate in regular home, work and athletic activities while protecting an injured ankle or an ankle vulnerable to injury. More specifically, the ankle brace allows the wearer to provide desired levels of forefoot and heel control through a single strap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the course of routine activities, particularly athletic events, the human ankle is subjected to various shocks and strains which may lead to injury such as a sprain. To allow continued activity of a person having an injured ankle or as a prophylactic measure against injury, adhesive tape has been used to wrap an ankle. The use of adhesive tape presents a number of drawbacks. Considerable time can be spent in taping an ankle, and the tape must be discarded after each use. In addition, the tape is often inflexible and results in discomfort and loss of motion during wear.
Reusable braces have been developed which eliminate some of the disadvantages of adhesive tape. However, due to the constraint that those braces must be designed for enabling the wearer to wear his or her existing shoes and thus be closely conforming to the foot, such reusable braces may not provide a sufficient degree of foot or ankle control to adequately protect the ankle from injury. Also, certain ankle braces are designed for either the right or left foot and cannot be worn on both the right and left feet.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for an ankle brace that enables the wearer to control both forefoot and heel support in a simple and easily adjustable manner. The ankle brace should also permit a sufficient range of motion for the ankle so as to allow the wearer to engage in regular or athletic activities and be capable of use on both the left and right feet.