How to choose between an ankle brace and rehabilitation after a sprain

 
Ankle Trainer and Ankle Support side by side: two products, one rehabilitation journey.

After an ankle sprain, it's easy to use the wrong product at the wrong time. The Ankle Trainer strengthens the ankle while you walk in everyday life. Ankle Support provides passive support when your ankle feels sore, tired, or unstable. This guide provides a simple plan for how to switch between them, whether you've just sprained your ankle or are in the middle of a longer rehabilitation process.

Many customers describe the feeling of instability as the most challenging part: the feeling that the ankle could give way at any moment. This instability disappears when you strengthen your ankle.

Two products, two tasks: the difference between Ankle Trainer and Ankle Support

Both products can be used throughout a rehabilitation process, but for different purposes and at different times.

The two products from Wear’N’Go look similar, but serve very different purposes. The Ankle Trainer is an active training sock with adjustable resistance on the inside of the ankle. You wear it while walking in everyday life, so that the ankle muscles and proprioception work with every step.

Ankle Support, on the other hand, is a classic compression sock with integrated silicone pads around the ankle bones. It provides passive support, compression, and warmth, and can be used both everyday and during activities such as hiking, running, and padel when the ankle needs extra security.

That's why many choose both. The Ankle Trainer strengthens the ankle over time. The Ankle Support protects the ankle when it's tired or vulnerable. Many of our customers therefore choose both, and use them at different times during the day or different phases of rehabilitation.

 
The Ankle Trainer is not an ankle support, but the opposite: an ankle trainer that activates the muscles while you walk.

When to use Ankle Trainer?

The Ankle Trainer is designed for everyday life. The idea is simple: instead of dedicating time to balance exercises on a cushion, you let the walk itself become the training. The resistance on the inside of the ankle forces the muscles on the outside, especially the Fibularis longus and Fibularis brevis, to work actively as you walk.

To test the effect, an independent laboratory in Oslo (Biomekanikk AS) measured ankle muscle activity with and without the Ankle Trainer.

The result was a clear and statistically significant increase in muscle activity (p-values of 0.002 and 0.00005). This occurred during the swing phase, the critical moment when the foot is in the air just before landing.

According to the instructions for use, the Ankle Trainer can be used from 10 minutes to 3 hours per session, and can be adjusted to four resistance levels depending on how far along you are in your training. The product is CE-marked as a Class 1 medical device and was developed through 36 prototypes in collaboration with Professor Per Morten Fredriksen. You can find the full story behind the product in the interview with Fredriksen.

When is it appropriate to start using the Ankle Trainer? When you can bear weight on your ankle without severe pain, which for most people happens some time after the acute phase. The timing varies from injury to injury, so always consult your GP, who can refer you to a physiotherapist. The Ankle Trainer is not to be used during sports, running, or exercise, only for normal walking in everyday life.

 
Ankle Trainer is worn inside shoes while taking normal steps in everyday life.

Preventive training for active ankles

The Ankle Trainer is not just a rehab product. Many of our customers are active people who have had one or more ankle sprains in the past, and who want to build stronger and more stable ankles before their next match, cross-country race, or mountain hike. They have already tried traditional balance exercises for short periods, but struggle to find time for them in a busy daily life.

For this group, the point of the Ankle Trainer is not to add a new training session, but to let the ankle work against resistance through the steps you take anyway. At work, to and from the shop, up the stairs, walking the dog. You get active ankle training without dedicating separate time to it.

The Ankle Trainer was developed through 36 prototypes in collaboration with Professor Per Morten Fredriksen and is CE-marked as a Class 1 medical device. This is why the product is also used preventively by active people who have suffered from repeated ankle sprains.

Torgeir uses the Ankle Trainer as a warm-up right before training, not during the actual session. This is the correct use. The Ankle Trainer should not be used during running, sports, or athletic activity. It belongs in everyday life and warm-ups, working silently while you are already in motion.

When to use Ankle Support?

Ankle Support is about security, not strength. It consists of a slim compression sock with integrated silicone pads around the vulnerable ankle bones. The result is even, light compression that holds the tissue in place, provides warmth, and gives a feeling that the ankle is secure.

This type of passive support has several uses. Many customers use Ankle Support after a long day on their feet, when their ankle feels tired or swollen. Others put it on before a run in the woods, a padel match, or a long walk on uneven terrain, where the risk of spraining an ankle is higher. And some simply use it because their ankle is vulnerable after an injury or surgery and needs that extra reassurance throughout daily life.

While the Ankle Trainer actively trains the ankle, the Ankle Support allows the ankle to rest. This does not mean it prevents exercise: the compression also provides a slight feeling of contact around the ankle through pressure against the skin, without restricting natural movement. Our customers often describe it as comfortable to wear and not very visible under normal socks or sneakers.

 
Ankle Support provides passive support and compression where the ankle needs extra security.

How to combine them throughout a typical day

The most common misconception is that you have to choose between the two products. The second most common is that you should use them at the same time. The point is that they are used at different times. You switch between them depending on what your ankle needs right now.

A typical day for one of our customers rehabilitating after an ankle sprain might look like this:

Such a pattern gives you both strength training and relief, logically distributed throughout the day. This way, you can incorporate active ankle training throughout the day without setting aside a separate session, and have the security of the Ankle Support when it's appropriate to rest or be active in other ways.

 
A typical day: Ankle Trainer during the day, Ankle Support during exercise and in the evening.

How to combine them through a rehabilitation process after an ankle sprain

An ankle sprain is rarely a single event but a process that extends over several weeks or months. According to NHI's guidelines, treatment starts with compression, rest, and immobilization for the first few days. Then, one gradually moves into training. Here is a simple overview of how the two products can play different roles in each phase.

Always talk to your doctor or physiotherapist. They know your injury best and can determine when you are ready for the next phase of rehabilitation.

Many customers find the transition from rest to active training difficult. They report that the combination of these two products made this step easier.

Customers tell: same ankle, two products

One of our customers, Alf Egil, uses both products on the same ankle after an operation involving both ligaments and two tendons. His story is the clearest illustration of how Ankle Trainer and Ankelstøtte play different roles in the same process. Below is what he himself has written about each of the products.

 
After an ankle operation, Ankle Support and Ankle Trainer are often used in the same process, for different purposes.

About Ankle Support:

About Ankle Trainer:

Thomas sprained his ankle for the first time in a corporate match in 1998, and has suffered from repeated sprains for over 25 years. His experience with Ankle Trainer shows another side of the product: its preventive aspect.

What we hear repeatedly in the feedback is that many experience increased confidence after systematic use over time. The experience varies, but the pattern is clear: people feel a better connection with their ankle than they did before.

What does research say about ankle rehabilitation?

Ankle sprains are the most common sports injury in Norway. According to an email from Professor Per Morten Fredriksen, quoted in the Nordlys article about the launch of Wear'N'Go, around 400 ankle sprains occur per day in Norway, and between 150,000 and 200,000 registered cases per year. The real number is probably much higher, as there are significant unreported cases. Studies indicate that up to 70 percent of the population has experienced at least one ankle sprain in their lifetime. More on how rehabilitation should be carried out can be found in Professor Fredriksen's article in Fysioterapeuten.

What makes the figures serious is not the sprain itself, but the relapse. Without proper rehabilitation, there is up to an 80 percent higher risk of spraining again within the first year after the injury.

 
Measurement from Oslo Biomechanics: muscle activity in Fibularis longus and brevis clearly increases with Ankle Trainer (p-values 0.002 and 0.00005).

How much rehab is needed then? Professor Fredriksen refers to a meta-analysis which concludes that effective rehabilitation requires more than 900 minutes of total training volume. Below this threshold, the effect drops dramatically. 900 minutes equals 15 hours, spread over weeks and months. The problem is that traditional training exercises are boring and time-consuming, and adherence is very low.

This is precisely why the Ankle Trainer was developed: to move rehabilitation into everyday life and make the 900-minute limit realistic to reach, not by forcing more exercises, but by letting the act of walking itself become the training. The Ankle Support plays another role in the same process, by providing passive support and compression where the ankle is most vulnerable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Ankle Trainer and Ankelstøtte on the same ankle simultaneously?

No, the products are not designed to be used on top of each other. The idea is that you use one at a time, alternating depending on what your ankle needs. Ankle Trainer for active training during daily walking, Ankelstøtte for passive support during activity or under strain. Many customers switch between them throughout the day.

Which one should I start with after an ankle sprain?

In the acute phase, the Ankle Support is most suitable. It provides compression and warmth that many find comfortable while the swelling subsides. The Ankle Trainer should only be used when you can bear weight on your ankle without severe pain, and its use should always be discussed with your doctor, who can refer you to a physiotherapist. The timing varies from injury to injury.

Can I use Ankle Trainer during running or exercise?

No. The Ankle Trainer is designed solely for normal walking in everyday life. It should not be used during running, sports, or other forms of exercise. If you need support during activity, the Ankle Support is the natural choice.

How long can I use Ankle Trainer at a time?

According to the instructions for use, the product can be used for 10 minutes to 3 hours per session, depending on how far you have progressed in your rehabilitation and which resistance level you have chosen. Start cautiously and increase gradually.

Is the Ankle Support the same as a traditional ankle bandage?

Not quite. The Ankle Support combines compression with integrated silicone pads around the ankle bones, which provides more precise relief than a purely elastic bandage. It is designed to fit well under shoes without feeling tight or restrictive.

Is it worth buying both products?

If you are in the middle of a rehabilitation process or have a history of repeated ankle sprains, the answer is often yes. The products address two different needs on the same journey: active training that strengthens the ankle, and passive support that takes care of it along the way. Many customers describe them as complementary, not optional.

How much training is needed for rehabilitation to be effective?

Research referenced in Fysioterapeuten suggests that more than 900 minutes of total training volume is the threshold where the effect is documented. Below this limit, the effect drops dramatically. The advantage of the Ankle Trainer is that you accumulate training minutes passively, while you are already in motion.

One journey, two products

For many, it can be beneficial to have both active training and passive support available in the same process. The Ankle Trainer and Ankle Support cover two different needs: training through daily walking, and support on days when the ankle needs extra security. What is best for you depends on where you are in your rehabilitation. Bought separately, the products cost 1,598 kroner. In the package, you get both for 1,399 kroner.

Sources

1. Norsk Helseinformatikk. "Acute ankle injuries, sprains". nhi.no

2. Norsk Helseinformatikk. "Acute ankle injuries, sprains: treatment". nhi.no

3. Fredriksen, P. M. "Stimulation of musculature and joint sense after ankle sprain". Fysioterapeuten. fysioterapeuten.no

4. Fredriksen, P. M. "Interview with Professor Fredriksen about treatment after ankle sprain". Wear’N’Go

5. Biomekanikk AS (2023). "Report from measurement of muscle activity in Fibularis longus and Fibularis brevis during walking with and without sock from Actiweight Labs AS". Independent study, Oslo.

6. Hotvedt, M. "Northern Norwegian investors gather around 'super product'. Nordlys, article about the launch of Wear’N’Go.

7. Wear’N’Go. "Ankle Trainer product page". wearngo.com/products/ankle-trainer

8. Wear’N’Go. "Ankle Support product page". wearngo.com/products/ankle-support

9. Wear’N’Go. Customer reviews retrieved from Judge.me database (Alf Egil, Henning, Umar, Thomas, Torgeir, Emil B).