Aircast AirSelect Walker Brace/Walking Boot (Elite, Short and Standard)

I rarely write reviews, but this deserves one. I bought this after having ankle surgery to remove the lower portion of my fibula and reconstruct the tendons and ligaments to attach to the remaining fibula, a procedure that requires at least 6 weeks of no weight bearing on my right ankle. My doctor had fit me in a typical boot which was okay, but it felt like a lot of weight was pulling on the ankle joint itself. I just could not get comfortable despite adjusting the straps and air bladder at least 100 times a day but I could not get comfortable and by the end of the day, my leg was exhausted and achy just from the weight of the boot. I ordered the elite version of this boot and it have had it on about 4 hours and I can already feel how much my ankle discomfort has improved! As there is a solid piece over the foot area, there is no longer any pulling on my ankle joint and I am about as comfortable as a person could be with a torture device on. I love that there are separate pressures in each of the regions so I can make tiny adjustments in tightness around my ankle, making sure it can’t move, but in a much more controlled way so that it doesn’t squeeze my leg. I spent $350 for the one provided by my physician (and only about $60 on Amazon), and $100 for this one. In addition, it is not as bulky and is easier to move around. It is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made in terms of how much better it is than the standard version. My recovery is going to be much less painful, irritating, and awkward due to this awesome boot!! If you are having ankle surgery and know you will need a tall boot, I would recommend purchasing prior to your surgery so you have it with you when you go in for the procedure. The only bad thing was that I couldn’t use my HSA card to pay for it.

Very good quality, helps with foot , feels comfortable

Amazing boot, I tried a few. Three different air bags makes finding the perfect fit. A bit bulky, but it’s not a fashion statement. Used it as a cure for Achilles issue, but ended up with surgery and used it to recover.

After I sprained my ankle badly, I needed something more than an ACE wrap but less than a full cast. This aircast fit the bill. I couldn't figure out the difference between the 'Elite' and the 'FP Foam,' so bought the Elite because it was a hair cheaper, honestly. It turned out to be a great choice, because this one allows you to instantly adjust the pressure of the air cushions that provide support in the cast, whereas from the images, the FP required a little hand pump to adjust the pressure. I'm fairly tall and quite heavy with an ankle that was pretty blown out, so I needed a lot of pressure to provide good support for walking. However, the same amount of pressure was intolerable when sitting, and my job requires a great deal of both, switching at least every hour or so, so the ability to change pressure without having to carry around a little pump was A++. My calves are a bit under 19 inches in circumference, so I also knew not every aircast would be able to accommodate that. Another reviewer said this was good for wide calves, and I found it perfectly serviceable, too. Comfort? The padded interior was nice, and the foot bed was comfortable. However, the air cushions go behind your ankle as well as beside it, so in order to get the strongest pressure on the side of my ankles, I had to pump up the cushions so that they mashed the front of my lower shin into the lower strap, too. Since that area was also slightly bruised from my epic ankle twist, this was quite unpleasant. Still, the product does what it needs to and accommodates my fat calves, so I consider it well worth it (the same product was 2.5x as much on healthcare goods websites that I saw). If the front of your lower shin isn't bruised and/or you don't need a high level of support, it's probably comfortable, too.

I had to wear one of these due to my fractured metatarsal. I decided to buy this on Amazon instead of buying it from my podiatrist at a super inflated price. This is well built, sturdy, durable and surprisingly comfortable. It exceeded my expectations. I recommend this boot.

This boot was a game changer for me. I have a small fracture in my right foot and must wear a boot for several weeks. I had been using a standard boot provided by my hospital. It was black, heavy, and clunky and similar to many available on Amazon. Most are less expensive than this boot. I was attracted to the Aircast because I thought it would be lighter in weight and it looked like it had a lower profile. I purchased the elite version first, but returned it because you must use the flap that covers the toes and, living in a hot climate, I thought that would be uncomfortable. I then ordered the standard Aircast short boot in size Small. I wear a women’s size 8 shoe and have a narrow foot. The sole of this boot is a little over 10 inches long and the toe pad extends about a quarter of an inch beyond the sole of the boot. It fits my foot perfectly. There are two features that I especially like. First the air cells allow me to inflate the boot around my ankle to very comfortably hold my foot stable. Second, what they call the “Soft Strike technology” makes my heel feel more like it is in a sneaker and definitely contributes to a natural walking gate. Finally, it is easy to put on and take off. This boot costs a bit more than others, but it is 100% worth the extra cost as it gives me 100% more comfort and mobility.

Two days after our podiatrist sold my wife an Icelandic boot that was awkward and slow to take on and off, impossible to keep adjusted with its 10 or 12 Velcro tabs, and which was uncomfortable and at times painful, I selected this boot and bought it, along with two "hygiene covers" that precisely fit it. Our podiatrist was nice enough to refund what the bad Icelandic boot cost--which was almost twice the cost of this boot from Amazon. The AirSelect fit well and was infinitely more comfortable. My wife proceeded to wear it for 12 weeks while her 5th metatarsal bone healed. Its hygiene cover allowed her to wear the boot inside our home, where we don't allow outdoor shoes, and this AirSelect product held up fine for 12 weeks--its two built-in mini-pumps did their job and nothing ever leaked. Its Velcro was still functional, though the inner cloth it bit into was somewhat chewed up at the end of the 12 weeks. The boot took her all over town, into offices and stores, and then onto planes and on very rough (even some cobblestone) streets for two weeks of a multicity vacation that had been bought before she broke her foot bone. After 12 weeks the sole of the boot is worn but is not worn out. The boot did not fail her; she developed a reasonable gait quickly and appeared to be walking normally after a week or two. Her bone healed as our podiatrist had hoped for; he never said one bad word about the boot. I hope it's never necessary, but we would certainly buy this product again. One note: We bought a "weather cover" for the boot to handle rain, but it never fit the boot correctly. The weather cover also presented several inconveniences by its design. My wife removed it and walked through some rain (but no snow) without getting her feet wet enough to talk about.

10 years ago I had to wear an Aircast brand boot for 8 weeks post surgery. At that time I had no issues with comfort or durability. This time, I have received and tried multiple Aircast boots on and each one of them had issues. Two of them had air pockets that lost all of the air within 30 minutes of inflating, one of those boots also had a defective inflation device. Another boot had a poorly applied velcro strip that was only attached on by the lower portion. I tried to stick it back in place, but the glue strip was messed up. I eventually received a boot that worked. However, within a week of use one of the air pockets deflated and would no longer would hold any air. In addition to the leak, one evening, the Velcro that was on the lower part of the removable front plate ripped a hole in the padded liner when I lifted the plate off to switch into my nighttime boot. I taped over the Velcro to prevent it from further damaging the liner. Without a working air pocket on one side I had to customize foam stick-ons on one side to try to get by. Because I have a broken toe that still needs another few weeks to heal, I am now stuck wearing a boot that hurts. The company has obviously redesigned the inflation device (the old one had a blue hand held pump device). The new design has built in pump devices on either side of the boot that attach to directly to each air pocket. I think there must be a poor or flimsy connection with air pockets or else all of the parts other than the plastic boot itself have simply declined in quality. I recommend you buy a different brand.