WAG Any opinions on x-brace arch supports?

[Kiwi]

Just wondered if anyone had any experience with or knowledge of these. A girl in DD's group is using them.
I can't find any technical or scientific information about how they actually work. Do they work as well as taping? If they do work well I would be interested in getting some for my DD as I'm currently taping her foot for training.

The X Brace, Arch Support for Barefoot Athletes
The X Brace, Arch Support for Gymnasts | Gymnast Care

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

People invest on braces to save money so they don't have to tape.

 

[gymnastbeth]

A girl on my team uses something similar, she says it works just the same as taping, no better. It's cheaper in the long run though, so probably worth it.

 

[Kiwi]

DD tried these yesterday (borrowed some from the other girl to try). She found them uncomfortable to wear with her gym shoes because of the joins digging into her feet. They are designed to work with bare feet. Guess I'm stuck with taping for now.

 

[drjosh]

I invented these and they were designed initially based on the low dye arch support tape technique. They were also first made for gymnasts with Sever's Disease. They work great for arch support but make sure you're getting to the root of your gymnast's issue. For Sever's you have to address tight calves. I write extensively about this on our website.

If you're having issues with pain or the heel slipping, make sure you get the right size for you. Many athletes wear them in their shoes and barefoot.

If your curious on what people think about them, make sure you check out the reviews on Amazon.

 

[Kiwi]

Thanks, Dr. Josh. My DD has a secondary ossification centre in her ankle bone and when her foot pronates the ligament pulls on the soft bone. I believe there are a number of contributing factors, but tight calf muscles is definitely one of them, possibly from a growth spurt. I think she had the right size support. The discomfort I believe was from the joins where the X straps are stitched onto the main foot strap. She has small orthotic insoles in her gym shoes, which I think may have pushed the joins against her feet. Her ankle has improved a lot over the past few months, and the podiatrist thinks she may be able to stop the taping in a month or so.