Girl on the River’s Road to Recovery: Meet the Incredibrace

Back in the dark days after I fractured my ankle, I had a dilemma on my hands. I had the trip of a lifetime coming up and somehow had to make myself fit for daily bootcamp, only days after being declared fit for exercise. One of the biggest problems with returning to exercise after an injury, explained my physiotherapist, was lack of confidence. What I needed, suggested the consultant, was a bit of extra support around my injured ankle.

I trotted dutifully off to the chemist where I bought the standard brace that you see everywhere, but it was horribly uncomfortable, chafing the underside of my foot where the gap for the heel was located and not providing much in the way of palpable support. Undeterred, I went to the opposite extreme and sent off for a full-on splint-style brace, but that was far too restrictive. What I needed was something properly supportive, yet comfortable. I wondered, in mild despair, if such a thing existed.

And then, as if by magic, a PR enquiry came through from Incrediwear. Was I interested in trialling one of their ankle braces? Now I’m not a believer in the idea of “throwing things out to the Universe”, but this was so timely it was almost uncanny.

The Incredibrace, as this brace is called, sounds like a cartoon character with superpowers… and in many ways that’s exactly what this is. Quite apart from its ability to appear, genie-style, when wished for, it is made of bamboo (a wonder-fabric in my opinion). But not any old bamboo.

This is what the manufacturers say about it: “Most ankle supports simply support the injury; Incredibraces use the addition of a patented organic germanium bamboo charcoal blend making this brace ideal for anyone experiencing discomfort related to circulatory issues or anyone who has suffered a sports related injury, sprains, or injury from repetitive use.”

All I can say is that it completely hit the spot. It was instantly comfortable; I often forgot I was wearing it and it fitted neatly inside my trainer. It didn’t have that annoying hole in the heel that leads to chafing. It offered support that I could feel. It looked good; it didn’t have that medical-support-bandage look that is so deeply unflattering and demoralising. Best of all, it gave me the confidence to throw myself into bootcamp sessions. I’m wearing it (concealed beneath my rowing leggings) in this pic and as you can see the instructor was showing no mercy.

Of course, opinions are divided as to whether a brace will actually prevent injury, and it’s really important to take advice about when to resume exercise after an injury (I’d been officially given the green light by my physio) but it does build confidence which is an important element of recovery. Let’s just hope you won’t need to use it.