A boot question with a twist..............

[peterk123]

Literally. This is a question I am asking on behalf of my wife. I love her to death but that poor girl has broken her ankle three times while hiking and just twisted it again today because she got knocked over by the dog. One time I carried her down the mountain on my bike for two miles. I'm just too old for that crap. We are moving out west in about eight months and I need her to be able to hike and camp the mountains with me. She wears her hiking boots religiously. Over the ankle but lightweight hiking boots. Would getting her into legit "hunting" style or something similar with a higher cuff resolve or at least minimize the risks?

Thanks

Pete

 

[madcalfe]

i broke my heel dirtbiking and have a hard time with boots but finally found something that works and is solid there not cheap though. take a look at the orthopedic kennetrek mountain extremes. they have metal inserts going up the ankle. Im on my 3rd season with them and there still holding up good.

 

[madcalfe]

there called

Kennetrek EVERSTEP ORTHOPEDIC NI​

 

[peterk123]

Oh.... and I should add this summer she has an added issue. Her Achilles on both feet are incredibly painful. Went to an ortho who hooked her up with mandatory stretches and these god awful plastic booties she wears to bed. Uggh.... I just opened myself up to a bunch of wise ass comments

 

[TBHasler]

Short answer is Yes, but unless you go with a boot built with structural support like mentioned above it will minimize the issue, not completely eliminate it.
If she hasn’t already, try to find a good sports medicine provider and they can suggest/train her on strength and motion exercises that will help greatly.
Some folks have genetic weaknesses with joints and injuries but strengthening exercises can benefit anyone
Good luck

 

[Jude]

I have narrow flat feet and walk like a duck, after many pairs of boots I purchased a used pair of kenetrek Mountain extremes off the board here(I think) and finally found the ones. Very good ankle support.

 

[Topo_trekker]

She should work on strengthening her ankles. Look into minimalist shoes like Merrell Trail Glove, or Xero shoes, for her daily shoes, light hiking, and work into some running. Wearing hiking boots religiously is not a good thing. Seriously though research minimalist shoes and building ankle strength. After some time I would then recommend getting a pair of hiking boots that have a sole that is low in height and also has a wide footprint compared to boot/footbed. A brand that does a pretty decent job of this is Salewa but I know there are more out there.

The height of the boot, like the part that wraps around ankle is probably not the problem, again it’s most likely the height and width of sole. What hiking boots does she have now? I bet the soles are quite a bit narrower than the boot itself and/or they also are what I consider tall in height. Most boots and even trail running shoes have this flaw. The high top boot design probably offers more ankle protection for rocks and such than it does support. It’s all about the sole my friend.


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[Topo_trekker]

FYI Xero shoes now make a hiking boot as well with very low profile. They’d be good for her initially but I wouldn’t use them for backpacking with 30+ lbs on rocky trails out west.

Looks like they’re on sale right now.


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