With his left ankle fused and his right ankle reconstructed, shinfinTM fins allow Felicia’s husband to snorkel and have swim workouts again. This is because shinfinTM fins strap above his ankles, so he can relax his ankles and feet. Furthermore, for extra protection, he can even wear the fins with his supportive ankle wetsuit boots. Needless to say, due to his ankle problems, he clearly cannot use standard flippers.
Felicia’s review from Carringbah, Australia
“My husband was extremely happy with them. For the first time ever since the plane crash, he was able to actually kick his legs and move forward in the water, without nearly sinking or hurting himself! They were great and he went snorkeling nearly every day while we were away. It was great that he could wear his supportive ankle wetsuit boots at the same time. They were also a good workout and helped him use some muscles that he previously had no way of accessing without the shinfinTM fins. Thank you for developing a product that helps my husband swim again. I couldn’t get the smile off his face!”
Felicia’s review: Snorkeling & workout fins for fused & reconstructed ankles
“My husband was in a plane crash last year and had his left ankle fused and a lot of work done to his right ankle, as well as breaking a vertebrae. We have just organised our first holiday away and we are wanting to do some snorkeling which has always been something we have enjoyed.”
“I’m wondering if you have tested these on fused (fixed) ankles and if they still work with the foot unable to kick in the standard way?”
“We are both certain that he’ll have trouble with our standard flippers. I’m worried about him hurting himself if he attempts to see how common flippers feel. So I’m on the look out for an alternative idea so we can have fun with the fishes! Would love to hear your feedback.”
Reply
You are right, with a fused ankle I think your husband will have problems with foot flippers. I assume your husband’s left ankle is fused in the walking position, which is the normal case, am I right?
With shinfinTM fins, I think it will be a lot better for him. Your husband will probably choose to wear the fins a little higher up his leg than usual. He can experiment to find the best height and orientation around his leg. They are quite flexible and adaptable to fit at different positions.
His foot position will still cause some drag in the water. The shinfinTM fins will mask this to some extent, but not completely. All in all, I think they will be beneficial to him. We do have other customers with similar ankle problems.
We have many happy customers using shinfinTM fins for snorkeling. The fins work well for surface snorkeling, duck diving and swimming underwater. They have a natural feel and don’t kick up as much sand as foot flippers. You can do faster shorter kicks or slower longer kicks, whatever you prefer.
They work with a natural streamlined kick like good swimmers use, with your knees fairly straight and power from your thighs, buttocks, stomach and torso. (Foot flippers use a different action with much more knee-bend and more strain in the calf muscles, ankles and feet.)
The straps adjust so you can wear shinfinTM fins with a wetsuit and/or water shoes. To minimize drag, water shoes should be streamlined and flexible so you can point your toes, without heavy sole or heel areas. It is best to use the light, flexible water shoes designed for swimming and beach walking. I hope this helps.
Felicia
“Wow, thanks for the super speedy reply Marc. Yes, his ankle is fused in the walking/standing position. Everything you have mentioned is what I suspected, in regards to him still having some drag.”
“shinfinTM fins certainly outweigh the standard flippers or nothing at all. It also might work well with his hand fins. It’s also really good that he can wear his water shoes, as he can’t walk barefoot. So thanks for pointing that out.”
Reply
Yes, they will work well with hand paddles too.
Felicia
“My husband was extremely happy with them. For the first time ever since the plane crash, he was able to actually kick his legs and move forward in the water, without nearly sinking or hurting himself!”
“They were great and he went snorkeling nearly every day while we were away. It was great that he could wear his supportive ankle wetsuit boots at the same time.”
“They were also a good workout and helped him use some muscles that he previously had no way of accessing without the shinfinTM fins.”
“Thank you for developing a product that helps my husband swim again. I couldn’t get the smile off his face! Bit tricky at first to get them on and after a couple of times, he’d mastered it. Now waiting for summer to kick in here so he can get into them again down the beach.”
Reply
That is wonderful to hear how the fins have helped your husband swim and snorkel with his fused left ankle and reconstructed right ankle. And workout some muscles again too. We get a lot of great feedback like this.
Conclusion
Even with fused ankles and reconstructed ankles, shinfinTM fins allow you to enjoy water activities again, including snorkeling and swim workouts. This is because they strap above your ankles, so you can relax your ankles and feet. If you need further ankle protection, you can also wear the fins with wetsuit boots.
shinfinTM fins are a breakthrough for people with ankle problems because they usually cannot use standard foot flippers. For example, this other review relates to fused ankles with clubbed feet. These further reviews describe shinfinTM fins used for faster bodyboarding without hurting ankle injuries and pool lap swimming with fragile ankles. What’s more, shinfinTM fins are beneficial for people with many other disabilities too.