Article Last Updated: December 1, 2024
Whenever an injury takes place, the most ideal thing to do is to rest until it heals. However, if it’s your foot that’s injured, how will you be able to let it rest and carry out your day to day activities?
What you need is a walking boot. It’ll allow your injured foot to rest without limiting your mobility so that you can continue carrying out your normal daily activities without restriction.
You may think that you need to spend a few hundred dollars on a walking boot from a clinic, but you really don’t. You can get a quality boot for less than a hundred bucks online.
But if you don’t know exactly what to look for, finding those quality yet affordable walking boots can be hard.
But don’t worry, today, we’ll be revealing our picks for the best walking boot for a sprained ankle.
Features a durable, semi-rigid shell that helps support the limb while providing full-shell protection.
The air bladders offer custom compression as well as increased comfort and support.
Designed with an advanced beveled edged sole to promote natural fluid gait patterns.
Top 5 Best Walking Boot for Stress Fracture
1. Aircast AirSelect Walker Brace/Walking Boot
PROS
- Easily adjustable air chambers
- The velcro straps allow for easier fitting
CONS
- The release valve takes a bit of time to release the air completely
Kicking off our list with one of the most advanced boots in the market.
The Aircast AirSelect Walker boot for stress fractures offers durable protection to your feet while giving them the maximum comfort for quicker healing time.
These walking boots feature a semi-rigid front boot shell that’s trimmable and can be molded by using heat. This provides an extreme flexibility option, giving you the highest level of comfort while wearing these walking boots.
Although the front boot shell is easily shaped and repositioned, it has a durable body that can protect the limb help immobilize the leg for a quicker heal while protecting it.
Aircast AirSelect walking brace also contains a lot of holes in the main boot body and the front shell. This allows for better air circulation and breathability while wearing the boots for a long time.
The Aircast AirSelect boot also patents the innovative SoftStrike Technology. This technology adds extra protection to the limbs by applying advanced shock absorption and scattering to the boot.
The soles on the boots are rocker shaped and extremely lightweight, giving you a highly natural gait and locomotion posture while walking in these boots.
The overlapping paired air cells line the shell provides pneumatic compression to help in immobilized quicker healing.
Moreover, the universal fit feature allows you yo wear the Airsoft AirSelect on both the left and right feet.
Regarding the external features on the boot, the walker brace has a nice design that provides a good deal of ventilation. Additionally, the rubber treads are skid resistant to allow for better friction while wearing the boots.
The boot is an excellent choice for minor stress fractures, or when you’re transitioning for a hard cast to no cast period.
The air immobilization provides a decent level of freedom, offering the necessary protection and movement restriction required for quick healing.
2. United Ortho Air Cam Walker Fracture Boot
PROS
- Excellent durability with plastic molded uprights and steel reinforcements
- 6 months warranty
- Offers a wide range of sizes
CONS
- A bit slippery on smooth surfaces
Whether it’s the long or the short version, the United Ortho Air Cam walking boot is one of the best selling fracture boots on the market for a variety of reasons.
This walking brace is designed to help many patients with foot injuries, such as soft tissue injuries, sprains, and most importantly, ankle and feet stress fractures.
Aesthetically speaking, the fracture boots are black, which can help reduce the obvious look of a controlled motion boot if you don’t like it. The boots are made of excellent quality materials to ensure a pleasant feeling on the skin.
The insoles on these boots have anti-shock properties. This reduces the impact of walking on the heels as they walk on a surface. The wide footbed on the boots also allows for more comfort especially in case of patients who are suffering from a swollen foot after surgery or due to health issues.
The rocker sole on the boot also allows for walking, which improves the quality of daily activities performed while wearing these boots.
The outer shell on the walking boots is extremely durable, as it’s constructed from plastic molded uprights, and hard steel reinforcement to increase the boot’s fortification. This helps in protecting the limbs while healing.
However, the boot is lightweight, which also adds to the comfort and easier maneuverability that United Ortho Air Cam provides. Moreover, the boot is able to carry up to 300 lbs of weight.
These boots are a good choice for stress fractures on the feet and the lower ankle. However, if your stress fracture is in the ankles or the upper tibia region, then the long version is a better option for you.
3. Mars Wellness Walker Fracture Ankle and Foot
PROS
- Comfortable for everyday use due to its beveled edges
- Quick-release valve for additional relief on ankles
CONS
- The boot is a bit bulkier than average
The next item on our list is a tall boot that also utilizes air to immobilize the foot. This boot is a tall advanced boot offered in various measurements to suit all sizes of feet.
This air cam boot is a multi-purpose boot with advanced technology, which can help in the recovery from different conditions, such as metatarsal stress fractures, navicular stress fractures, ankle sprains, and stable fractures.
The walker brace utilizes air chambers to provide a pneumatic system to immobilize and stabilize your feet in a snug fit for extra comfort.
If you have swollen feet, then you’ll be pleased to know that Mars Wellness Premium walker braces’ air chambers offer a fast release valve under the knob.
This valve, along with the air bladders around the ankle, provide additional relief to the swollen area by accommodating its pattern throughout the treatment process.
Another good feature about Mars Wellness Premium air cam walker boot is that its soles are designed with a low profile beveled edge.
This edge provides a large surface area contact, distributing the contact pressure points along the feet. Additionally, they enhance natural gait while walking.
4. Aircast Foam Pneumatic Walker Brace/Walking Boot
PROS
- Two sock liners provide an advanced level of support and comfort
- Excellent design to support natural walking
CONS
- A bit pricey
Aircast’s second appearance on the list features one boot from the pneumatic series.
The Aircast XP Extra Pneumatic controlled mobility boot is designed with high attention to its adjustability and protection, in addition to immobilization.
With these boots, you can easily carry out your daily activities thanks to its comfortable fit and the low profile rocker soles that support healthier and more confident ambulation.
With its unique design, you can easily wear the same boot in the left or right foot without worrying about the fit, saving you the cost of buying a new walker boot for the other leg.
The boot features two sock liner and hand air pump for the highest level of comfort, support, and customization around your foot.
The Extra Pneumatic walker brace from Aircast can help in the treatment of many conditions such as stable and stress fractures, post-operative protection, and ankle sprains.
5. United Ortho 360 Air Cam Walker Fracture Boot
PROS
- Provides an extra toe guard for added protection
- Lightweight for day to day convenience
- Offers a 6-month warranty
CONS
- The sizing chart is slightly inaccurate
Last but not least, the 360 air cam walker is the second boot from United Ortho. This boot offers a great level of adjustability and protection to stress fractured feet.
One of the main support factors in this boot is its semi-rigid front shell that holds the foot in place to prevent sliding inside the boot without interrupting the leg’s circulation.
Moreover, the boot boasts lateral and median air bladders to provide a highly customizable fit. This helps to reduce swelling and edema on your feet without compromising on the snug fit of the boots.
United Ortho 360 air cam boots also have an additional front toe protection shield for extra security while carrying out daily activities.
The rocker soles on the boots promote a natural step while walking in the boots.
The Correct Boots for Stress Fractures
There are two types of stress fracture boots, high top, and low top boots. In case of any feet or ankle fractures, whether they’re stable or stress-induced, it’s preferable to opt for high top boots.
Since metatarsal bones are attached to the muscles in legs, it’s advised that wearing a taller boot to fully immobilize those muscles for quicker healing.
How Long Should I wear the Stress Fracture Boot?
While most stress fractures take between 4 and 12 weeks to completely heal on its own. This varies significantly according to the severity of the injury and the fractured bone.
However, stress fracture walking boots provide support, protection, and immobilization required to achieve a quicker heal.
Ideally, most average metatarsal stress fractures take up to 4 weeks to completely heal with the help of the stress fracture controlled ankle movement boots.
How Do I Wear a Stress Fracture Boot Correctly?
Here’s a step by step guide to correctly wear and maintain a stress fracture walking boot:
- Wear a long sock on your injured foot
- While sitting, place your heel on the back of the walker brace
- Wrap the elastic liners around your feet
- Place the front shell on your leg
- Start fastening the straps from your toes up
- Start pumping the air chambers by the knob on top of the boots, if available
Additional Tips to Consider
Since you aren’t supposed to hear about walking boot for a stress fracture every day, it’s perfectly fine to have little to no information about the topic.
However, you might still want to know some extra details regarding fracture walking cast boots, and we’re here to deliver.
Showering with the boots
Moisture should be avoided while wearing a walking boot to avoid irritation, itching, and infections.
However, if your doctor gave you the green light to shower with your walking braces, you should protect it from getting wet, this can be easily applied by wrapping your leg in a plastic bag and taping both ends.
Wearing Socks on the Walker Braces
Unless your doctor tells you not to, it’s highly recommended to always wear longer socks before putting on the fracture walker boots.
Socks help to reduce the friction resulting from the direct contact between the feet and the boots. This protects feet from irritation, blistering, and chaffing.
Performing Activities While in the Walker Boot
It’s generally advised to avoid applying too much pressure on your feet, if you want to heal fast. Stress fractures boots provide the support and protection needed so you can perform your daily activities without worrying about your stress fractured feet.
However, it’s always recommended to avoid extra weight and pressure on your feet whenever possible.
Final Words
Stress fractures’ main symptom is acute pain, which is sometimes accompanied by swelling on the feet.
This pain elevates with time and becomes unbearable whenever an extra weight is loaded on the fractured area.
Going for a boot that provides breathability, support, and comfort while having a natural gait can significantly help you through the walker brace period.
For these reasons, I pick United Ortho’s boots as the best walking boot for stress fracture due to its excellent features, 6 months warranty, and great price.
