The Best Women’s Shoes with Ankle Support – Stop your Ankle Pain by Supporting your Feet!

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 with ankle support.

Have you been experiencing ankle pain? Is the pain affecting the way you walk and limiting your workouts? I can tell you without a doubt that certain shoes can significantly reduce or fully eliminate the pain. The right shoes can do that for you!

Before you go to your doctor or physical therapist you should check whether the shoes are causing the problem. I have noticed how the most common cause of ankle pain is wearing shoes that don’t provide the correct amount of support, or shoes that are not the correct size.

What Makes the Shoes I Recommend Supportive Around Your Ankles?

☑️ Firm Heel Counter with Targeted Ankle Support:  You can start by identifying if the heel counter of your shoe is providing ankle support or not. The heel counter is the part of the shoes that provides ankle support, and the firmer, the better. In case you are not sure what the heel counter of the shoe is, you can see the picture below:

So, you can press on the heel counter of your shoe and check whether it feels soft or firm. Below you can find an example of a soft heel counter that doesn’t provide any ankle support.

Below you can find an example of a firm heel counter, as when I am pressing on that area it feels firm and sturdy:

☑️ Substantial Outsole: The outsole of the shoe is the part that provides shock absorption, and we need it to be well-padded and supportive (especially below the ankle area), since this will help to reduce the impact that your feet take every time they touch the ground. Let me show you a picture of a shoe that comes with a substantial sole and extra padding around the ankle area:

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.

In addition, when women experience ankle pain, the first course of action should be to evaluate if the shoes that they are wearing are providing the correct amount of ankle support.

Let me show you a selection of the best women’s shoes with ankle support that I have fitted before and have proven to reduce, or completely eliminate the pain.

I want to first show you what features you must start looking in your shoes before you buy them, and how to make sure that you are wearing the correct shoe size.

Women’s Shoes with Ankle Support – Get These Features!

To reduce or fully eliminate your ankle pain, you need to wear the proper pair of shoes. I will provide you with a selection of the best women’s shoes with ankle support, but I want you to learn about which features you must look for before buying your shoes in case that you don’t like any of the shoes I recommend. Moreover, your shoes apart from having a firm heel counter and a substantial outsole, they also need to have the following features:

☑️ Extra Depth: Shoes that provide extra depth allow your feet to sit deeply inside the shoes and your ankles will be fully protected and supported.

☑️ Shoelaces: Stay away from velcro shoes or shoes that come with toggle shoelaces. Always go for shoes that come with traditional shoelaces since they will provide much more support that other type of closure. Shoelaces secure the heel area and provide maximum support.

☑️ Lightweight and flexible: While your shoes must be supportive, they should also be lightweight and flexible, 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.

☑️ Traction: This feature will prevent you from slipping and twisting your ankle.

The issue is that most shoes don’t come labeled as “deep”, or with “optimal ankle support”, which can make it hard to find them. The good news is that I know exactly which shoe styles provide these features and I will help you find them.

Bear in mind that it doesn’t matter how many features a particular shoe style provides, 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 other severe foot issues such as foot and leg pain.

Before I show you a selection of the best women’s shoes with ankle support I want to make sure that you know your exact foot shape and size. For example, do you know whether you have narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet? Do you know whether you have a high instep or not?

Start by reading an article I wrote where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your foot size from home:

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

Now that you know your exact foot size and shape you are ready to take a look at a selection of the best women’s shoes with ankle support.

Below you can find a selection of the best women’s shoes with ankle support. These shoes are  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).

The Best Women’s Shoes with Ankle Support ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

All of these shoe styles below provide the key features I mentioned above and will target to reduce or fully eliminate your ankle pain. 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.

Heel Cups for Ankle Pain – When the Shoes are Not the Solution!

There is a particular heel cup that I have fitted before for children, women, and men which is extremely effective in reducing or fully eliminating ankle pain.

This heel cup offers superior shock absorption, protects the heel, and prevents foot fatigue. This is one of the most advanced shock absorbing heel cups available today, and it offers relief from plantar fasciitis and protects the heel from high impact. These heel cups will also prevent and decrease the risk of suffering from several common foot problems and injuries.

While I can’t get into too much detail in this article about which are the best heel cups for women, you can learn everything that you need to know in an article I wrote:

The Best Heel Cups for Heel Pain – The Most Effective Way to Stop your Women’s Heel Pain

The Best Shoe Tying Method to Support and Protect your Ankles

I call this method the “reverse the shoelaces technique”, and this particular shoe tying method will push your foot back, securing your ankles against the back of the shoe (this will allow you to get the full support of the shoes), and at the same time prevent your heels from slipping out the shoe.

1- Start by leaving the two top eyelets (holes) of the shoes open:

2-Lace your shoes as you would normally do but go through the top hole first.

3- Go back through the holes you left open.

You are all done! These steps are very easy and simple to follow, but they will make a huge difference in the way your shoes feel! You will notice an immediate difference and feel so much more stable and secure when walking or running.

On a different note, do you have a child that is experiencing ankle pain and also 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!

Is there a particular shoe style that has worked well in reducing or completely eliminating your ankle pain? Please share your thoughts and experiences below so other women can benefit from your experiences.