The Best Women’s Shoes for Ankle Pain – The Proven Method to Stop your Pain!

Editor’s Note: This post has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy on May 2022 and reflects an up-to-date selection of the best women’s shoes for ankle pain.

Have you been experiencing ankle pain? Are you having a hard time exercising or standing for long periods of time? I can tell you without a doubt that wearing the correct type of supportive shoes will significantly reduce or fully eliminate the pain.

Wearing a pair of shoes with ankle support is the most effective and proven method to reduce or fully eliminate ankle pain. The issue is that there is only a small selection of shoes that provide the correct amount of ankle support.

Did you know that ankle pain usually occurs due to the overuse and inflammation around the growth plate located in the heel bone?

Ankle pain in women is more common than you think, especially in women who are active and are involved in high impact activities or sports. Overweight women also tend to suffer from ankle pain.

In addition, ankle pain can be caused by a fracture that usually becomes an ankle sprain. It can also be caused by other conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, an infection or poor alignment of your foot or leg, to mention a few. You should know that if the ankle ligaments do not heal properly, you may end up with prolonged ankle pain or other issues.

In addition, when a woman is experiencing ankle pain, without having a fracture or any known condition, the first course of action should be to evaluate which are the shoes that they are wearing. As well as to check whether they have the right amount of ankle support.

Before you go to your doctor or physical therapist you need to make sure that the shoes that you are wearing are not causing the problem.

You can start by identifying if the heel counter of your shoe feels firm. The heel counter is the back part of the shoes that provides ankle support, and the firmer it is, the better. In case you are not sure where the heel counter of the shoe is located, you can see the picture below for clarification purposes:

So, you can press on the heel counter of your shoe and check whether it feels soft or firm. Let me show you an example of a shoe with a soft heel counter. Do you notice how the heel counter bends as I am pressing on it?

Certain shoes provide extra support for your ankles. For example, the shoe style below comes with gel infused in that area, so it will minimize the impact that your heels take every time they come in contact with the ground.

You also need shoes that provide a substantial outsole. The outsole of the shoe is the part that provides arch support and provides shock absorption. This will target to reduce the impact that your feet take every time they touch the ground.

I will show you a selection of the best women’s shoes for ankle pain that I have fitted before, but l want you to get familiar with what other features the shoes must provide and show you how to make sure that you are wearing the correct shoe size.

Shoes with Ankle Support – 3 Additional Important Features

To reduce or fully eliminate your ankle pain you need to wear the proper pair of shoes. Moreover, your shoes apart from having a firm heel counter and a substantial sole, they also need to have the following features:

☑️ Shoelaces: This is a feature often overlooked by most women, but shoelaces will provide much more support to your ankles than any other type of closure. Shoelaces will secure the heel area and provide maximum support, as long as you are tying your shoes correctly.

☑️ Lightweight and flexible: While your shoes must be supportive, they should also be lightweight and flexible at the same time, so you can prevent your feet from easily getting tired.

☑️ Breathable: This will allow your feet to breathe and prevent the formation and build-up of bacteria inside the shoes.

Bear in mind that it doesn’t matter how many features a particular shoe style has, if the shoes are not fitted properly, you won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer. What’s even worse, if the shoes are not the correct size, you might end up creating several foot issues from minor foot issues such as blisters, calluses, and corns to more severe foot issues such as foot and leg pain.

Before I show you a selection of the best women’s shoes for ankle pain I want to make sure that you know whether you have narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. In addition, do you know if you have a high instep or not?

I always recommend women to be properly fitted for shoes at the local shoe store that they trust, but if you don’t have one in your area then take a look at an article I wrote where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your exact foot size from home:

How to Measure your Foot Size – The Most Simple and Effective Way!

I only review shoes that I have fitted before, since that is the only way for me to tell the amount of support that the shoes provide and how they fit.

The Best Women’s Shoes for Ankle Pain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Below you can find a selection of the best women’s shoes for ankle pain. These shoes are available in different widths such as narrow (N), medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW). Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

Take a look at the description below the shoes that I recommended to find out what shoe size you should order.

As soon as you are fitted for new shoes, please make sure that there is not too much extra space around your heels, or you won’t get the support that the shoes have to offer. For example, you shouldn’t be able to fit one or two fingers around that area, and if you do, then it means that the shoes are too wide or too long.

All of the shoes I recommended provide the key features I mentioned above and that significantly will target to reduce or fully eliminate your ankle pain. These shoes are also available in different widths, meaning that it doesn’t matter if you have narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet, the shoes will fit the contour of the exact shape of your feet (as long as you choose the correct shoe width).

On a different note, do you have a child that is having ankle pain and needs a pair of shoes with ankle support? I wrote an article where I describe the best kids’ shoes with ankle support. Please go to the link below.

The Best Shoes with Ankle Support – Support Your Kids’ Ankles!

Orthotics for Women with Ankle Pain – When The Shoes are Not the Solution!

There will be certain cases where a pair of shoes will not be enough to reduce or eliminate your ankle pain, and in this case you might need extra support from an orthotic. Please remember that you always need to wait and see if the shoes will take care of your condition, and I recommend wearing the shoes for 2 to 3 months before trying an orthotic.

Orthotics are shoe inserts that are specifically designed to offer cushioning, support, stability, and relieve pressure in particular areas of the foot.

There is an orthotic that I have fitted before that is specifically designed to provide good arch and ankle support. The orthotic comes with a deep heel cup that will minimize the impact that your heels take when they come in contact with the ground.

There are several orthotic choices for women with foot pain, and while these all look very similar, they actually provide several different levels of support.

While I can’t get into too much detail about which is the best orthotics for women who are experiencing ankle pain, I wrote an article where you can learn more about them:

 The Best Orthotics for Women – Stop your Foot and Leg Pain!

If you decide to try an orthotic don’t forget to remove the original insoles of your shoes before placing the orthotics.

Have you found a particular shoe style that has worked well for your ankle pain? Please share your thoughts and experiences below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.