Quick answer: Most people only need one. Brace the ankle that has actually rolled or sprained before, because that is the ankle the research supports bracing. For a healthy ankle with no injury history, the evidence that a brace prevents anything is weak. Two braces make sense when both ankles have a history, when you play a landing-and-cutting court sport, or when wearing one alone makes you feel lopsided. Since the Solehush MotionLock ankle brace is $34.95 with Buy 1 Get 1 Free, you receive a pair either way, so the real decision is whether to put the second one on. Rated 4.9 by 3,000+ verified buyers.
The short answer: brace the ankle with a history
Ankle bracing is a targeted intervention, not a general-purpose upgrade you apply to your whole body. It works best on an ankle that has already given you a reason to worry about it. If you rolled your left ankle two seasons ago and it still feels unreliable on uneven ground, that is the ankle to brace. The right one, which has never let you down, is not the problem you are solving. That is the honest default. Everything below is about the situations where the default does not fit.
What the research says about bracing an uninjured ankle
This is where most articles get vague, so here are the actual numbers. The National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement on ankle sprain prevention, published open access and readable at PMC, reports that to prevent one sprain you would need to brace roughly 5 athletes who have a history of ankle sprains, compared with roughly 57 athletes who do not.
Same brace, same sport, and the payoff is about eleven times smaller on the ankle that has never been hurt. The statement also notes that in previously uninjured athletes, systematic review evidence found no difference in sprain rates between the braced group and the group wearing nothing. Its recommendation is specific: athletes with a history of previous ankle sprains should wear prophylactic support for practices and games.
So bracing a second, healthy ankle is not harmful. It is just not doing much. The second brace buys you a small amount of insurance and a fair amount of comfort, not a proven reduction in injuries.
When wearing two braces genuinely makes sense
- Both ankles have a history. This is the clearest case. Two ankles with previous sprains means two ankles in the group the evidence actually supports.
- Landing and cutting sports. Basketball, volleyball and netball produce a lot of ankle injuries from landing on someone else's foot. That risk does not care which ankle you injured first, and it arrives without warning on either side.
- You feel lopsided with one. Some people find a single brace changes how they move enough to be distracting. Matching the two sides removes the mental load, which is a legitimate reason even if it is not a clinical one.
- Long descents with load. Coming down a steep trail with a heavy pack fatigues both ankles roughly equally.
When one brace is enough
- One ankle has a history and the other has never been injured.
- You are recovering from a recent sprain and tapering back to normal activity.
- You wear it for work or walking rather than for sport.
- Your other ankle has no symptoms at all.
In all of those, the second brace is optional comfort. Keep it in your bag as a spare.
One brace or two: a straight comparison
| Factor | One brace | Two braces |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence behind it | Strong when that ankle has a sprain history | Strong only if both ankles have a history |
| Feel and symmetry | Can feel uneven for the first few sessions | Balanced, nothing to think about mid-game |
| Heat and bulk in shoes | Less of both | Two shoes now fit slightly tighter |
| Time to get ready | Seconds | Roughly double, which matters on a tight warm-up |
| Best suited to | Work, walking, hiking, single-ankle recovery | Court sports, bilateral instability, anyone who prefers symmetry |
Does wearing one brace throw off your balance?
A little, at first, and then usually not at all. A brace adds mild resistance to the extremes of ankle roll, so a single-sided setup can feel slightly stiffer on that leg for the first few sessions. Most people stop noticing within a week.
What we would push back on is the idea that a single brace creates a dangerous imbalance that forces you into a pair. There is no good evidence for that. If asymmetry bothers you, wear two because you prefer it, not because the alternative is risky.
If you wear two, set them up properly
Mark them left and right, then keep them that way. Braces mould slightly to the ankle they live on. Swapping them around each session undoes that and changes the fit. A marker dot on the inside of the cuff is enough.
Tension each side separately. Your ankles are not identical, and the one with a history often wants a firmer wrap than the healthy one. Set each by feel rather than by copying the strap position. If you are not sure what correct feels like, we walked through it in how tight should an ankle brace be, including the toe-colour and pins-and-needles checks.
Wear time still applies per ankle, so see how long you should wear an ankle brace each day, and both come off at night unless someone has told you otherwise, which we covered in can you sleep with an ankle brace on.
What if the second ankle only aches rather than rolls?
Then a brace may be the wrong tool for that side. Aching after long days is a different problem from instability, and a compression sleeve often suits it better because it is thinner and easier to wear all day. We compared the two in ankle brace vs compression sleeve, and the verdict there is not always the brace. If the ache is underfoot rather than around the ankle bone, that is a cushioning question, and a padded liner like the Solehush CloudLiner is the better answer. If one ankle keeps giving way, strength work matters more than either product, which is why we wrote how to strengthen weak ankles.
Where MotionLock fits
The MotionLock ankle brace was designed for the one-ankle case first. A hexagon grip zone sits over the outer ankle bone, which is the side most people roll, and an adjustable lock-wrap strap lets you set tension differently on each ankle. The open heel keeps the foot seated in the shoe, and the thin knit fits inside normal footwear rather than forcing you into a size up. One size, adjustable, in Green, Grey, Purple and Pink.
It is $34.95 with Buy 1 Get 1 Free, so the pair arrives whether you wear both or keep one as a spare. Free shipping to the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand takes 7 to 10 business days, returns are 30 days, and every order includes our free Strong Ankles Guide. Rated 4.9 by 3,000+ verified buyers.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad to wear an ankle brace on only one ankle?
No. Single-sided bracing is the normal setup and it is what the research on sprain history supports. You may notice a slight difference in feel between the two legs for the first few sessions, and that generally settles quickly.
Should I brace my good ankle to prevent injury?
It is unlikely to do much. The National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement reports you would need to brace roughly 57 athletes with no sprain history to prevent one sprain, compared with roughly 5 who do have a history. If you play a high-risk court sport and simply prefer the symmetry, wearing two is a reasonable comfort choice rather than an evidence-based one.
Can I swap the same brace between ankles on different days?
You can, but it is better not to if you own a pair. A brace settles into the shape of one ankle, and swapping resets that. Mark them left and right and keep each on its own side.
Do I get two braces with one order?
Yes. MotionLock is $34.95 with Buy 1 Get 1 Free, so a single order includes two braces. Plenty of people wear one and keep the second clean and dry as a spare, which is a perfectly good use of it.
General information, not medical advice. If an ankle is swollen, cannot take your weight, or keeps giving way despite support and strength work, see a doctor or physiotherapist rather than adding a second brace. Results vary.