Kedley Ankle Support

Description

How to use

Pull the support on over a clean, dry foot so it sits snugly around the ankle and heel without wrinkles, which cause pressure points. It should feel firm but never tight enough to numb or discolour the foot. Wear it during walking, work and sport, and take it off at night. In the first 48 hours after a sprain, use it as part of the standard approach: rest the joint, apply ice wrapped in a cloth for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day, wear the support for compression, and elevate the foot above hip level whenever you sit. Hand wash in cool water and dry flat, away from direct heat.

Important warnings

Remove the support immediately if your toes become numb, tingly, cold, pale or blue, which means it is too tight and is restricting circulation. Do not wear it over broken skin, an open wound, an infected area or a fresh burn. Take specialist advice before using compression if you have diabetes with reduced foot sensation, peripheral arterial disease, varicose ulcers or a known blood clot. A support does not treat a fracture. Get an X-ray if you cannot bear weight for four steps immediately after the injury and at assessment, if there is bone tenderness at the back edge or tip of either ankle bone, if the joint looks deformed, or if severe swelling and bruising appear within minutes. Ankle pain with fever, redness and heat may be an infected or inflamed joint and needs urgent review.

Storage

Wash by hand in cool water with mild soap, rinse thoroughly and dry flat away from direct sunlight, radiators and open flame, since heat destroys the elastic fibres. Do not machine wash, tumble dry, iron or bleach. Store flat or loosely rolled in a dry drawer rather than stretched over a hook. Replace the support when the elastic no longer recoils, because a stretched support gives compression in name only.