United Ortho USA14115 Short Air Cam Walker Fracture Boot, Medium, Black

No, just good design.I had a severe sprain and ankle break, followed by surgery 4 weeks ago. The plaster splint was comfortable, but the very expensive boot they gave me was so painful that I wound up taking most of it apart before I could get replacement cushioning in it. The heel was far too tight and the straps rubbed my newly-healing incision. The boot hurt much more than the surgery! I finally said , "Enough is Enough!!!" and started looking for something else so I could sleep at night. I just slipped right into this and it feels like a cloud surrounding my ankle. I've got at least another 2-3 weeks of this, so I'm incredibly grateful that rolling the dice actually worked. I like that the inflation pump is relatively soft and sits towards the front of the boot instead of being super hard and jutting out directly into my right knee. I also appreciate the extra foam pads that are included with this boot. It's also soft on the back, so that when elevating the foot, it doesn't affect my knee, making it ache from the uncomfortable position. Wow! I don't know how I lasted so long!In reading more specs, this boot is clearly wider, and its straps accommodate my very high arch without any tightness. The ankle area is nicely padded. I'm sure if I had flat feet (no judgement) and my calves were attached further up my lower leg bones, the other model would've fit much better. I'll be letting my surgeon and the other manufacturer know all the other problems I had with that boot, and that they need to offer more options since few patients have the exact same leg dimensions and ratios. I think it must have been designed for a teen-aged boy's frame. Truly looking forward to a comfortable, pain-free evening......An additional note, the buckles on the boot are directly molded into the sides and stick straight up. They are not attached with rivets & sharp-edged velcro, they aren't loose and don't sit on top of the leg & ankle. This was another source of pain for me in the other boot's design, I couldn't get enough padding under the buckles to stop them from rubbing and digging into the top & side of my ankle; right where my incisions were. The loose buckles would provide more leverage to tighten the boot, but in my case I didn't need the extra pressure. If you look at the photos of the boot you can better see what I'm referring to.

So far so good! I severely sprained my ankle a month ago now and my doctor gave me an airboot that was 4 pounds. Though nice and sturdy, a month into my sprain now I am healing and the medical grade of the boot isn’t necessary anymore as I’m learning how to walk again. Also the bladder of my former airboot had sprung a leak and wouldn’t hold air. However I was in the market for an airboot to take to Europe with me as I was advised I should wear one for my trip as the healing process wouldn’t be finished. I unboxed this boot today and after learning how to put it on I was excited that it’s not 4 pounds and it’s pretty easy to move around in. I like that the bottom is curved so it mimics real stepping which helps me “walk” more naturally. If I can update this later on and let you know how it faired on my trip I will.

For reference, I wear a size 8 shoe and I ordered the size "small" and it fits perfectly. My neighbor gave me a very similar boot that she got from the medical supply store (per rx) and that thing hurt my shin really bad. I didn't even want to walk because my shin hurt more than my ankle without the boot. I received this boot today and put it on. OH MY, what a remarkable difference. Much more padding everywhere, including the shin area and footbed. I didn't use any extra pads or inflate what's there. Also, my neighbor's boot was very heavy and cumbersome to walk around with. This one is much lighter and I'm having NO difficulty using it at all!!! Let's face it....none of us want to wear this contraption, but if we're forced to wear one, we should at least be comfortable in it. If you can afford to purchase this yourself, it's WELL worth the money. I have no complaints whatsoever.

I first ordered these medium based on the size guide but it was way too big. I wear a size 9 in women’s but having 2inches of extra space in front of toe was dangerous for potential tripping and also my heel wouldn’t stay put in the back of the boot. For reference, the pic with the coin is the medium and this is me putting weight on the boot so you can see how big it is. I then ordered the size small instead and it’s a better fit. This is not as good as the boot I got from the hospital a decade ago but it’s helping me get around as I recover from a sprained ankle now. Other reasons why I’m not giving 5 stars: the bottom of the boot can easily lead to your foot rotating sideways when stepping since it’s rounded to allow for easy walking. It also could have just put the 3 extra cushion pads in places that need more padding so that you don’t have to place them in yourself each time. I also feel like there’s a bit too much of freedom at the point where your foot bends - I’ve put the little padding there but unless you fill it with lots of air, it can be a bit loosey goosey there.

This boot is a life saver! I injured my foot, we have no idea how and the doctor at the urgent care couldn't find any external signs of injury but the pain was severe, I pretty much couldn't walk. Urgent care didn't suggest a boot but later on during random conversations, a few people recommended I get a boot. So I did a Google search and this one appeared. I compared to a few other cheaper options but liked the reviews for this one the best. I ordered it on Sunday night and it arrived first this Monday morning. It's a complete life saver and is actually helping my foot heal quickly. When I took it off last night, I felt 80% healed already. After some time, the pain came back but not nearly as intense as how I felt prior to the boot.Highly, highly recommend!