Medical Boot & Walking Boot Tips [Foot & Ankle Pain – Broken, Sprained]

Medical Boot & Walking Boot Overview:

One of the best ways to heal a foot or ankle problem is to rest it. But it’s hard to rest your foot and still carry on your normal activities.

Walking boots allow you to rest your foot while still walking around and doing your day-to-day activities.

And walkers are not just for fractures. Our Michigan foot and ankle centers also prescribe them for heel pain, ball of foot pain, tendonitis, and other problems.

Walking Boots for Foot and Ankle Injuries:

Walking boots are also called walkers, cast boots, Aircast boots, medical boots, walking cast, and fracture boots.  

Remember that walkers are usually just a part of an overall treatment plan. We recommend you see your podiatrist for complete treatment. Also, the product links in this post are affiliate links. We may make a small commission if you click and purchase one of these items.

This page guides you to find the best walking boot for all foot problems. For each condition, we will answer the following questions:

How long should you wear a boot for your particular problem?
Should you wear a tall boot or short boot?

Should you use a regular boot or a pneumatic boot? (one that has air bladders that can be pumped up to provide more immobilization).

The pneumatic boots offer more protection for problems like fractures but are more expensive. We’ll let you know when it is worthwhile to spend the extra money and when it is not.

Do you have large calves or lower leg swelling?

If so, you’ll need a walking boot to fit wider calves. We have recommendations on
medical walking boots for wide calves: 

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost, we will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. Please understand that we have used all of these items for our patients, and we recommend them because they are effective and a good value, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something.

Here are some of the conditions that can be treated with a walking boot

• Plantar Fasciitis / Heel Pain
• Ball of Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia)
• Pneumatic Walking Boot for Fractures and Severe Injury
• Ankle Sprain or sprained ankle pain
• Metatarsal Stress Fracture or foot stress fractures
• Toe Fracture or Broken Toe
• Foot Fracture or Broken Foot
• Ankle Fracture or Broken Ankle
• Ankle Tendonitis & Foot Tendonitis
• Children’s Heel Pain

Walking Boot for Plantar Fasciitis:

The purpose of a walking boot in treating plantar fasciitis/heel pain is to reduce tension on the plantar fascia so that the fascia can rest and heal. For many patients, it is the only thing that provides enough protection for the area to heal and still allows the person to walk around. In addition, it can act to reduce pressure on the heel.

• Place in the boot to take tension off the plantar fascia

How long to wear it? For plantar fasciitis, most patients wear the boot for 7 – 14 days, depending on the severity of heel pain

Tall or Short Boot? Either one. Most people are more comfortable in the
tall boot as it does not irritate the shin. But if you are short, you might want to use the short walking boot.

Hints: Use arch support inside the boot to take more tension off the plantar fascia.

We recommend the FootChair Orthotic with Adjustable Arch Height
For plantar fasciitis, use the highest arch that you find comfortable. This arch support has pads that can be inserted to increase the arch height for a customized fit.

More home treatment hints for plantar fasciitis/heel pain can be found here.

Walking Boot for Ball of Foot Pain (metatarsalgia, neuroma, sesamoiditis)
The feature of cast boots that work so well for pain under the ball of the foot
is the rocker aspect of the sole.

Pressure studies show that this rocker works to dramatically reduce pressure under the ball of the foot. Reducing pressure here allows the tissue to rest and heal.

How long to wear it? Most patients wear the boot for about seven days for the ball of foot pain.

Tall or Short Boot? Either one. Most people are more comfortable in the
tall boot as it does not irritate the shin. But if you are short, you might want to use the short walker boot.

Hint: Use arch support like the FootChair Orthotic with Adjustable Arch Height.

Inside the boot to transfer even more pressure off the football. The FootChair comes with pads that can be added to increase arch height to transfer more pressure off the ball of the foot and onto the arch.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? Use the less expensive regular walker. You don’t need the more expensive pneumatic walking boot for metatarsalgia.

More home treatment hints for the ball of foot pain can be found here
Walking Boot for Sprained Ankle
Recent studies on ankle sprain treatment have shown that immobilization in a cast boot for the first two weeks will allow proper healing of the injured ligament. We put every ankle sprain patient in a boot initially. Don’t try to diagnose an ankle sprain on your own – see a podiatrist.

How long to wear it: Wear the medical walking boot for two weeks following an ankle sprain.

Short or Tall Boot? Always use the tall boot for ankle sprains. The short one does not provide adequate ankle protection.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? The less expensive regular 
the tall boot should work fine for ankle sprains.

A complete home treatment plan for ankle sprains pain can be found here.

Walking Boot for Metatarsal Stress Fracture:

Metatarsal stress fractures should always be immobilized in a boot. Like all fractures, metatarsal stress fractures will heal faster and better when they are immobilized. The easiest way to do this is to use a medical boot. If a stress fracture is suspected, you should see a doctor as soon as possible.

How long to wear it? Depending on the fracture type, most of our patients are in a boot for 2 – 4 weeks. Wear the boot until you get an x-ray; a doctor can tell you if you are ready to come out of the boot.

Tall Boot or Short Boot?

Always use a tall boot for metatarsal fractures. This is necessary because many muscles that attach to the metatarsal region start in the leg. If you have a stress fracture, you want to limit foot motion by immobilizing those muscles.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? The less expensive regular
tall boot should work fine for metatarsal stress fractures.

A complete home treatment plan for metatarsal stress fractures can be found here.

Walking Boot for Toe Fractures:

Too often, people are told that nothing can be done for a toe fracture. This is not true. Like all fractures, toe fractures will heal faster and better when immobilized. The easiest way to do this is to use a fracture boot.

How long to wear it? Depending on the fracture type, you could be in a boot for 2 – 6 weeks. Wear the boot until you get an x-ray; a doctor can tell you if you are ready to come out of the boot.

Tall Boot or Short Boot?

Always use a tall boot for toe fractures. This is necessary because many muscles that attach to the toes start in the upper leg. In the presence of a toe fracture, you want to limit the toe’s motion by immobilizing those muscles.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? The less expensive regular tall boot
should work fine for ankle sprains.

Walking Boot for Foot Fracture or a Broken Foot?

There are many types of foot fractures, and specific fractures may require specific treatment. So we always recommend seeing a doctor have a foot fracture treated.

How long to wear it: See a doctor first, depending on the type of injury. Wear it for as long as your doctor tells you. It could be anywhere from 3 weeks to 8 weeks or even more.

Short or Tall Boot? Tall boots are best for foot fractures as they immobilize the foot and leg muscles that attach to the foot.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? For fractures, we ONLY recommend the
Aircast tall pneumatic boot
. You need extra protection to limit movement as much as possible. This walker is the closest boot you can get to a solid cast.

Walking Boot for Ankle Fractures:

You really should not try to treat an
ankle fracture on your own. A podiatrist or an orthopedic surgeon should see this.

How long to wear it: See a doctor first, depending on the type of injury. Wear it for as long as your doctor tells you. It could be anywhere from 3 weeks to 8 weeks or even more.

Short or Tall Boot? Always use the tall pneumatic boot for ankle fractures. This type has air bladders that can be pumped up for extra support.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? You need extra protection to limit movement as much as possible. For fractures, always use the pneumatic boot.

Walking Boot for Posterior Tibial Tendonitis and Peroneal Tendonitis:

The goal of a walking boot for tendonitis of the foot and ankle is to decrease tension on those tendons to allow healing to start.

How long to wear it? Most of our patients wear the boot for 10 – 14 days.

Short or Tall Boot? Always use the tall walking boot for tendonitis. The muscles start high up in the leg; to best rest these muscles, the boot must go up high on the leg.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? Either one. Most people will be fine with the less expensive regular tall walking boot. If the pain is severe, use the tall pneumatic boot.

Hint: For posterior tibial tendonitis, use arch support such as the Foot Chair Orthotic with Adjustable Arch Height

Inside the boot to help reduce tension on the posterior tibial tendon. This exceptional arch support has an arch that is adjusted by slide-in pads. This allows a customized fit that will maximize the benefit to the tendon while still being comfortable. Even more pressure off of the ball of the foot. We recommend using both of the extra pads if you have posterior tendonitis and just leave the orthotic as is (no extra pads) for peroneal tendonitis.

A complete home treatment plan for posterior tibial tendonitis can be found here.
A complete home treatment plan for peroneal tendonitis can be found here.

Walking Boot for Wide Calves:

Best walking boot for large calves: If you have large calves or a lot of swelling in your lower leg, you will require a walking boot with adjustable uprights to fit your lower leg. The boot must be made so that the uprights can be bent outward to accommodate larger calves.

Few medical boots on the market fit those with wide calves. Our favorite is the
DonJoy MaxTrax Walker Brace.

The Donjoy MaxTrax has a malleable upright that can be bent to accommodate larger lower legs. It also is wider than average around the foot and ankle.”>

If you have a wide lower leg or swollen calf, you will often have a wide foot and require a wider orthotic to wear in the boot. For those with wider feet or lower extremity swelling, we recommend the PowerStep Wide Orthotic Arch Support.

Walking Boot for Children’s Heel Pain:

Kids with heel pain due to Sever’s disease (inflamed growth plate) Often, a boot is needed for a week to allow the foot to rest and heal.

How long to wear it? Most children wear the boot for about seven days for heel pain.

Tall or Short Boot? Either one. Most kids are more comfortable in the
tall walker boot as it does not irritate the shin.

Hints: Use arch support like the PowerStep Arch Support inside the boot transfers even more pressure off the football.

Regular or Pneumatic Boot? Use the less expensive regular walker. You don’t need the more expensive pneumatic walking boot for heel pain in kids.

More home treatment hints for children’s heel pain can be found here.

How To Wear Walking Boots Comfortably:

You Must Keep Your Legs Even. The most important thing to wearing a walking boot comfortably is to ensure that you wear a shoe of the same height on the opposite foot. A running shoe often works well with a higher heel than the forefoot.

Many shoes will require a heel lift to be added to the shoe.

We like this
adjustable heel lift. Try a couple of different thicknesses of the lift to see which one is more comfortable.

Use an “Even-up” for Best Back, Knee, and Hip Protection:

Wear the Even-Up on the other shoe to prevent back and hip pain when wearing a walking boot

You will want to ensure your gait is as symmetric as possible for people with back, hip, or knee pain history. This means you want a rocker on your shoe that matches the rocker on the walker. This can be accomplished with the use of the
Even-Up device.

The EvenUp straps to the bottom of your shoe so that your shoe will rock just as the boot does, giving you a symmetric gait and likely decreasing the chance of back or hip pain.

You Must Use Arch Support inside the Boot to Stabilize the Foot
Arch support inside the boot will further stabilize the foot to promote healing and decrease pain. A full-length semi-rigid orthotic with a good amount of arch support works best.

A good choice for most people is the
Foot Chair Orthotic with Adjustable Arch Support
It provides very good support at a relatively low cost and is the only OTC orthotic we have found with an adjustable arch so that almost everyone can get maximum support with comfort. We use this in boots regularly, and most patients find it comfortable and supportive.

How Do I Protect My Skin When Wearing a Walking Boot?

Use a sock liner. Our favorite is the Aircast Sock Liner. It is a non-constricting and comfortable athletic sock that goes up to your knee and protects your skin when wearing a boot.

How Do I Keep My Foot Dry in a Waking Boot if it Rains or Snows? 

Walking Boot Weather Cover will keep your feet dry in any weather. It is open at the bottom, so you still have traction but otherwise covers your boot and foot to keep you dry and warm. Since we are in Michigan, many of our patients use this cover.

The weather cover will protect medical boots from rain, snow, and sand. Fabric is both waterproof and breathable.
Easy to clean. It fits right or left of almost all medical boots.
If you want a cover that only covers the foot, then try this
Fracture Cast Boot and Shoe Cover. This one has a nonslip sole and goes over the foot portion of the boot.

The Fracture Boot Shoe Cover does a great job at keeping your feet dry and your house clean. Since it covers the bottom of the boot, just take it off when you get home, and have a clean, dry boot.

A Cane for your medical boot:

A cane Can Help When Used Correctly with a walking boot.
If you have an injured foot or ankle and are wearing a boot to protect your injured limb, using a cane in the opposite hand can reduce 30 – 40% of the force you put on the injured side. This can dramatically decrease pain and make it easier for you to move around comfortably.

Many people use canes incorrectly by holding the cane on the same side as the info. Jury. The boot and the cane should be hitting the ground simultaneously if you are in a boot. Canes should be used in the opposite hand, and you should move your cane forward simultaneously with the injuriously.

Especially during the first week or so of an injury, when it is at its most painful, a cane can be very helpful.
Here is an inexpensive cane that we often recommend for our patients

Do You Want Your Friends to Sign Your Cast?

Back in the days of plaster casts, one of the few benefits of wearing one was that your friends could sign it. The advent of
the walking boot kind of ruined that. But we have found that a
silver Sharpie pen does a great job of permanently writing on walking boots. So if you want your casts to be signed, carry a silver Sharpie with you.

How To Exercise When You Are Wearing a Walking Boot:

Last but not least, what do you do to keep exercising if you have one of the above injuries and want to continue exercising? Many of our patients are in the same situation, so we have developed a Guide to Exercising with a Foot Injury.

Use the link to read the guide and follow the instructions. We’ll ensure you can continue your workouts even when you have a foot injury and must wear a walker boot.