Side by Side Comparison of: Mueller vs McDavid

This does a good job of supporting my ankle and is easy to put on (just follow the instructions printed in the heel space). I am about ready to purchase a replacement since the foam under my heel gets compressed over time.

After searching all over the place for a supportive ankle brace, I found this on Amazon at a great price. I really respect the brand so I gave it a shot. It has been a complete ankle saver. I wear it during every single workout and have washed it several times it still looks brand-new.

Keeps foot stabilized without feeling wrapped like a mummy. Easy to put on and take off.

My daughter found this brace for herself and had me try it for my bad ankle for support.It keeps me walking!! great quality especially the velcro. My podiatrist gave me a lame one for $140.00 that literally fell apart. This was all of $11.00! Good job Mueller

it worked great to help me get better. I have a small ankle, I am not sure I'd recommend it for Large or Extra-large people. I wear medium clothing, weight 165#.

Recently I felt my left Achilles tendon painfully stretch as I walked up a couple of stairs. My heel was very painful and felt swollen. I wrapped an ice pack around it for a few days without much relief. So, I looked at Amazon and after reading the reviews I bought the Mueller Adjustable Ankle Stabilizer, Black, One Size.This product provides adjustable support and helped relieve my pain when wearing around the house or over a sock as I slept. I began to feel relief just from the support it provided my foot as soon as I put it on each day. I highly recommend using this if you have a stretched, strain, sprain or other ankle pain that is not indicative of any serious or underlying injury.There are two stretchy Velcro support straps you pull up and around to provide as much or as little support you need. You can wash in the sink with dish soap and air dry as needed to keep fresh.

The product is really good. It does feel like I get a really good ankle stability support. It does require a little bit of time to break in and get used to, but it's a great product overall. It does make the shoes a little bulky but it's okay if you're just going to use that shoes for that specific sport. I play volleyball and sprained my left ankle. Now, I wear this with my volleyball shoes. The product is so good, I ended up buying another pair for my right foot just to keep it safe from ankle sprain.

The best ankle brace out there for sports, I used to wear 2 ankle braces on the same foot,but this accomplishes more for m than using 2. Be warned though that you will have to loosen your shoe so that your foot would fit, however thats to be expected.

My son has used these ankle braces for about 3 years after a bad ankle sprain in basketball. He played year-round on highly competitive teams for four years, using it for 3. The first one lasted about 2 years! These offer quite a bit of stability. My son did have to make sure shoes would fit over it as a few styles didn't. There were a few shoes I didn't think it could possibly fit and it was just fine! Highly recommend!

I ordered this brace because I injured my ankle while training and lifted some heavy weight off a squat track wrong which resulted in some prolonged ankle soreness.

I've had bad ankles from playing offensive line in high school and having level 1-3 tendon tears in my ankles from those years past, I used to have two of these back then but lost them when I moved out of my parents house way back when. I can say that this is by far a great brace because the fit is snug and during my most recent injury my ankle has pain in the front that gives me pain when I'm on my feet for too long or walking a lot (live in a metropolitan city so I do a lot of walking). Since using this brace it has mitigated that pain because it is snug enough that it isolates where my pain is and allows me to walk normally and without a limp.

Comfort wise the brace is snug. I usually run a 9.5-10 shoe and in my walking shoes it fits fairly well an 8/10 fit, in my dress shoes for work it fits very good 10/10 but I do need to use a shoe horn to slip into my shoes. I ordered a medium in this case.

Practical usage of the brace when I'm walking home or to work it gives me maximum comfort and helps me forget that my ankle even hurts. When I'm training I don't feel any pain either but I'm not lifting with as heavy weights until I heal up. The support given in my opinion is around the 9-10/10 mark just because of the isolation during walking motions and the stability offered on the sides. When I'm on the bus standing up I can balance myself if there's weird motions as opposed to hopping about looking to grab onto something for support, and I can also jump 2 stairs at a time without worrying about pain from stressing it in different motions.

As far as putting the brace on or taking it off it is fairly straight forward. The side bands that form a figure 6 (I think it's mentioned in the description) help to provide that motion stability I mentioned previously, and the top bands that secure around the laces are all straightforward in attaching and removing. The laces and brace itself does run slightly tighter and more snug than any other brace, so you'll need to spend some additional time with that portion of it. If you have swelling then this could be good for mitigating the swelling (not a doctor or health professional) but if you're pain adverse then I'd exercise caution just because of how snug the brace can be.

Overall 5 stars because I'm familiar with the product and it does as advertised and it is not a cheaply built neoprene sleeve.

If you sprained your ankle, this product will stabilize your ankle to allow it to heal properly or allow you to participate in activities with a weaker than normal ankle. As a young kid I neglected to take care of my ankles. After spraining my ankle playing basketball, I would simply tighten up my shoes and continue playing through the pain. I am experiencing the repercussions now and regret doing so... As with all injuries, give your ankle/foot injury proper time to heal. This product will help those ankle sprains heal faster by minimizing the movement of the ankle. The laces allow you to adjust the tightness of the brace. I no longer play basketball but I would imagine that this brace will provide the stability needed for a weak ankle while sacrificing a little bit of mobility and agility.

I broke my ankle and this was a little snug, nothing wrong with the product, just hit me in a bad spot.

These offer the support needed, the top criss cross velcro strap stretches out and goes further back around the ankle.

As an Ultimate frisbee player looking to protect a sprained ankle, this brace worked great. I needed something pretty firm as I'd be running and cutting with my foot a lot, but it still needed to have enough give for me to actually move it. This brace is a great balance of both. It is easily adjustable and fits pretty well. The only con is that on my size 9.5 feet (somewhat small for a guy), the bottom part of the brace doesn't quite reach to the arch of my foot. It's too close to my heel and doesn't sit in the middle of the arch. This results in a little discomfort over a long period of time. It's not noticeable when playing, but if I wanted to wear it indoors I sometimes had to take breaks. Usually you don't need to wear a brace during that time anyways though.

the first 2 weeks after my wrenched ankle, any sort of lateral movement or rotation brought UNGODLY PAIN. especially when I was sleeping and the slightest leg movement would cause ankle movement and wake me right up with *searing pain*this thing restricted just about all movement (except front to back - which was fine, because walking with straight motion did not hurt at all) and that was perfect.compression also helped reduce swelling, although the plastic side supports would start to dig in and cause swelling if worn too long.wearing over bare skin, I don't recommend. all the seams everywhere dug in and it also resulted in lots of sweat. it fit just fine over a normal sock and even over a 3x thick wool sock. (size 8-1/2 / 9 shoe, YMMV)

This device provides pretty good tight support. The Velcro connections hold well but the connectors across the top of the foot and the front of the leg could be longer (if you have wide feet you'll have trouble making the connection.) The figure-8 straps are long enough and hold very well. Provides good support for sleeping with a sprained or broken ankle. There is hard plastic support built in and these pieces can be painful so don't expect to walk a lot in this device.

I would give it 5 stars if it allowed for a larger ankle/lower calf of leg. When I wear the support, my ankle hurts less and I walk better. My problem is that my ankle and lower leg are swollen and I can barely get the wrap to secure. It would be nice if the product provided more materiel to allow for support of swollen ankles. It cannot be considered a brace for sports. This is simply a stabilizer product to be used for weak ankles that are causing you to walk unnaturally.

It has an absolutely wonderful support but the rough part of the Velcro is on the strap side...so if you're like me and have an extra inch at the end of the strap, you'll have to wear a long sock or try something else.

I really appreciate the way this supports my ankle without cutting off circulation but it runs small. I'm a 10.5 in men's but couldn't get the medium on, and now the large replacement seems to be at the velcro's limit.

Keep in mind that if you are injured and have any swelling you might need a size up. I think it will still work as well because I have a medium from another popular manufacturer that is actually looser than this large, and works great.

I have horrible ankles that I re-sprain all the time. This is the only brace that I'll use because it's really secure, but I can still move around in them. They're very adjustable and I know I've saved myself some sprains wearing this. The only thing is that sometimes the velcro seems to wear down pretty fast. It's not every brace I've gotten, but there have been a few that I had to replace quickly because the velcro won't stay and then the straps just flop around. To me it's worth it to have to replace the brace every once in awhile because like I said, I feel very confident in playing soccer with these on.

It's a bit of work to get this brace all laced up and wrapped on, but well worth it for the freedom and mobility it is allowing me. It really supports well letting walk easily on uneven surfaces without worry. I'm old and worn out and this is a real blessing.

The support from the McDavid is not bad. It's more difficult than the Air Cast Airheel to put on, because of the laces. However, the McDavid provides better overall support for the ankle. I wear a size 11 shoe, and the Medium is very snug across my foot but fits well in all other respects. I suppose the Large would be loose.The Air Cast provides better support for tendonosis/tendonitis. I do sports with the Air Cast Airheel Aircast airheel foot and ankle brace for men: 12 inch and women: 13.5 inch, large - 1 ea, and it has held up well and provides moderate overall ankle support. Yet, the McDavid appears much more durable.I guess which ankle strap you want really depends on what you want to do, but I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Not a bad support brace. The stints aren't terribly supportive or rigid, but the compression the bands add help. I tried using this for sports a few months after sustaining a bad ankle injury and it certainly helped, but I wasn't super confident with it, especially since that sport was soccer. It fit inside my shoes and cleats OK with decent mobility. If using this for sport, I wouldn't suggest it for sports requiring major foot use like soccer or quick turning/shifting stop and go things. Jogging would be fine, lifting, or even just every day walking support.

I broke my ankle and this orthotic is not tight enough around the ankle to provide the support I need. It seems better suited for plantar fasciitis than ankle support. I went back to my ace wrap until I find something better.

I can tighten the straps as much as I want, but I expected more lateral support than this ankle stabilizer provides. Even with the stabilizing support on the sides, my ankle still gives a bit too much at times due to the flexibility of the neoprene. On the positive side, I've been using this for a solid month of working out approximately every other day and there are no odors to complain about. I think this stabilizer would work well if I just needed some minor support while recovering from an injury, but for CAI where my ankle gives out without notice, I think I need something that is a bit more laterally stable.

These are nice and work well for Tarsal tunnel but I wouldn't say one size fits all, the front part is a little tight if you have men size feet of size 11 or larger or if you have wide feet. The other thing is that part of the scratchy Velcro touches the foot, although you can correct this with a soft piece of cloth placed underneath it against your foot, this is a design problem Mueller should correct.

but it turns out the thin plastic insert is just too flexible for my needs. I've broken my ankle twice and now I have a pretty noticable supination when I walk. I was hoping this would help give some stability and make me a little more sure footed when working on variable terrain. On the first day, that is exactly what it did. On the second day, however, it was like I wasn't even wearing it. It might because I was working on a prescribed burn and the heat compromised the rigidity of the plastic insert or maybe the 100% slopes and heavy slash on the ground were just beyond it's design. In any case, just didn't work on the second day. It's not uncomfortable to wear, so that's good, but if you don't line the velcro up just right, when you slip your foot into your shoe or boot, it folds back on itself and can create a hotspot. I wish the directions would be a little more clear in how to strap it up to provide the very most support so you don't have that trial and error period, but really, how hard is it to wrap some elastic around your ankle?

This brace seems to work but there is a side bar that runs up the side and it irritates your bone.I have not tried to where shoes with this brace. I wear it to bed and in the middle of the night I fight like hell to get it off quick.I wouldn't suggest falling asleep with it.

I love how it supports, but I think I got the wrong size, too small

The elastic band that goes across the top of my foot was so right out hurt, but I picked out the first route of stitching on each side and now it feels great.

This brace is supportive enough that I did not notice rolling, but I could only wear it for a few hours because it somehow managed to increase the swelling in my foot. I have a grade 3 sprain that was both lateral and medial and this brace did something to my foot. It was not too tight but it was still painful. I am returning it.

Good Brace but it was squeezing to tightly around my ankle. I orderd a large. Also to many laces which made putting the brace on and taking it off difficult. They used elastic in the laces area so when you go to put it on it is always squeezing around your poot as you are pulling it on .. and taking it off you can not spread the laces area for easy removal. Other than that it was comfy once on and positioned correctly on my foot, But i was unable to wear this brace as long as i could my ASO brace.

I've purchased 5 different ankle braces and will post this same review for each one.I was looking for ankle brace the would give the most lateral support.I've injured both my ankles while playing ultimate Frisbee. I love the game and will continue playing no matter what.So wearing support is now a must for me otherwise I easily roll my ankle on a sharp turn or a stop during the game.So again, my intent is to use ankle support for already injured ankle while playing active sports.Brace that only helps "prevent" injury is useless, I'm already injured.For Ultimate Frisbee I need "ultimate" ankle support.So here is my list.1. Best support and price#1 Laced Ankle Brace With Stabilizing Strap For Flexible Support. Breathable Neoprene Braces Made By Product Stop. (Large)Plastic on both sides makes all the difference. I can tighten it with the straps as tight as I want. Foot stays flexible. I've played Frisbee at full strength and didn't have any pain from my injured right ankle.2. Best support as well, but expensiveZamst A2-DX Left Ankle Brace, Black, LargeWhen I read in one of negative reviews for this product that it is too complicated to put on, that was a selling point for me.Brace that is easy to put on cannot give good support. A good brace would mold into your foot, it shouldn't be easy to put it on.So I got it, played at full speed and it was most of the time very safe.The only thing I didn't like is that material of the boot and the straps can stretch a little, so it make it quite flexible, but would let the ankle roll in some really extreme twist. I would sacrifice some of flexibility for a guarantee that it wouldn't let the ankle roll no matter what.3. These 3 braces have the same design, good basic support, but not good for ultimate gameASO Ankle Stabilizer, Black, X-LargeBest price, design and durabilityMcDavid 195 Deluxe Ankle Brace with Strap (Black, Large)More expensive than ASO, nicer look, good durability, but I don't like design of the straps (crossing straps should start from the back of the foot)Shock Doctor Ultra Wrap Lace Ankle Support (Black, Large,9-9.5)Price is OK, but not very durable. 7-10 games destroyed it quickly.

My main reason for giving this only 2 starts is because this states it's a "one size" product, but definitely not a one size fits all product. I am about a Mens US Size 9. This product is too small. It clearly does not fit well and is meant for smaller feet. I would highly recommend getting the ASO ankle stabilizer. You will get WAY more support and worth the money. This may be half the cost of the ASO brace, but don't try to cheap out. It's worth protecting your ankles. The one con with the ASO brace is that it's definitely bulkier, but that's what you get with more support.I would ONLY recommend getting this if you have smaller feet, want to spend less money, need less bulk.

I feel like these are made smaller then they used to be. I bought this exact one in 2010 and I feel the the plastic is too far down the foot. It cuts into my foot when I'm walking. I'm disappointed.

Does not fit!!! The metal side reinforcements do not bend at the correct angle. Even though I have a small foot, I don't know how this is supposed to fit on anyone. Seems strong and of good quality but simply cannot put it on. Also, it is bulky, even if I can imagine it fitting. Will not fit in a regular tennis shoe or sneaker, much less a work shoe.

I got this a few years ago and I wasn't too sure if this would help me. After I got it I worked out in it, while the pressure and pain didn't appear my foot was tingly and a bit numb. I don't know if I had it on too tight but i haven't worn it since. I am giving it a two since I am not sure if it was operator error or something that happens with this product.

This ankle brace is made to be worn with the foot and leg at about a 140 degree angle as it has hard stabilizing (metal) supports in the sides which makes it stay at a very wide angle more or less. So it would be good if you are on crutches or otherwise NOT WALKING on it. You CAN force it into a 90 degree angle and wear it in a shoe, but it's clearly not meant for that and causes the brace to bunch up and be super awkward and uncomfortable. Seeing as I bought it to be worn while walking, I will have to find another one. . I am a women's size 8 shoe and it fit well otherwise.

received on a timely manner. packaged well and when I used put it on I discovered that it was bulky and my shoes were tight it would have been nice if this was mention when I saw ad. after I had them on for about 30 mins my feet began to ache worst had to take off to get relief. retried later the next day again did not feel the support I needed . went to dr and he gave me a better support that works much better. should have done this first.

Good support but not suitable for prolong wear. I need an ankle brace all day. This one causes pain after a few hours.

Was difficult to wear - returned it.

It's a pretty good brace. You can feel it really support your ankle. It was great until I played basketball in it. Even though I had a sock it still rubbed my foot and left it red and blistered. I also had to keep readjusting it, not sure how or why, but it seemed like it was not holding the support on my ankle. It kept getting loose and didn't make me feel secure.

I recently suffered a sever ankle sprain while playing basketball. I did tons of research online to find the best brace to wear in my shoes as I made my way back to the court and bought 4 of the best reviewed ones I could find. I have sprained ankle in the past and have tried numerous braces over the years. I even have a pair of basketball shoes with braces built into them but was looking for something additional because of how bad my ankle was.
The McDavid Level 3 brace has GREAT reviews. I was just going to buy this one but decided I would buy a few others to see which worked best for me. I wore the McDavid twice inside my basketball shoe and had to return it. The support it gives your ankle is really great. The straps stay tight and it made me feel protected even while running on an injured ankle. But the design of it rubbed the back of my foot with every step and gave me a terrible blister the first time I wore it. I thought it might need to be broken in and after some more time off, I put it on again for another game. I taped up my foot and wore thicker socks. I even put tape on the outside of my socks where the blister had occurred. I'm sad to say that this didn't make a difference and the skin on the back of my heel/ankle was rubber completely off. I ended up half-way through the game having to take my shoe off and get the brace off because it hurt so much to move in it. The strap to pull the brace up that is stitched to the back also broke off after 2 times pulling it up. I was super excited to use this brace as it seemed to help so many others but unfortunately it didn't work for me.
My search for the perfect brace continues.

This thing is like a rubik's cube to get one. When I figured it out, I found that it didn't fit. I wear a men's size 11, and the medium looks to fit a 9 at best. Good luck getting it on with a sore ankle, by yourself. After getting injured, I hiked extremely rugged terrain in a a loaned braced which was easier to put on and costs about $10 less. I got this thinking it would be better; it isn't for me. I'm returning it for the less expensive one, that I can actually wear.

This thing is so small that my women's size 10 foot is crammed into it. The elastic heel is so tight that your heel hurts from wearing it. The outside hard part of the brace rubs against my ankle bone and it doesn't wrap nearly as well around my foot.

This 'one size' business might work for those who fall into the 'avg' sizing category, but did not work for me (size 10 women shoe). It was too small to wrap satisfactorily around, and so stiff that it would not bend to be comfortable even at a resting position. And the heal opening isn't nearly big enough. Picture looks like a great design, but the actual product didn't match. I sent it back.

This one-size brace might fit a petite woman, or perhaps a pre-adolescent boy, but it will not fit the size ranges the manufacturer advertises. The binding on the front edge of the sole and under the heel are too thick and inelastic, so it cuts into your foot. The metal bars put painful pressure on a sprain, and provide no lateral support in any case... you can still freely invert and evert your ankle with it on. An ordinary elastic bandage provides better support, comfort, and compression than this device.

This ankle support is just what I needed - but despite the claim that one-size-fits-all, it's really not true. I'm a size 10, which isn't small, but is within the size range they claim to fit. I could make this device fit over my ankle, but only by making it so tight as to cut off circulation. The velcro on the forward section of the foot didn't reach the cloth on the other side when at a reasonable tension.In short, a good product if your feet are smaller than mine, but totally unsatisfactory if your feet are my size - and I don't think men's size 10 is huge.

I couldn't get this thing on right. I wear 11.5-12 and this was WAY too tight and the sides support kept digging into my foot. Not comfortable at all.

good quality material, but should state size ,,, it was too small for me.. sold it too a friend he loves it...

I have tried this on both feet with thick socks. After walking jogging for a mile it starts to hurt just above the ankle because something rubs against the skin and cuts it.

It is big, bulky and does not give much if any support.

Don't like it. It has a seam down the middle of the foot and it hurts

I have purchased several of these over the years. The newest design is smaller than previous ones. The problem is that it no longer fits my high arches. No such difficulty in past.

I'm a size 10 1/2 & it says my brace should be medium & let me tell you that if you have a skinny foot then it might be ok but if you have wide feet then go with large because my feet could not circulate blood at all & the pain was unbearable, it looks like a good product but their sizing threw me off, I'm going to get them replaced them update after a few martial arts classes & give a complete review