I'm sorry no one has posted advice. Wish I had some. I wanted to see what folks said about ankle braces myself since they are one of my most affected areas.

I don't know anything about ankle braces, and I can't really help you about the knee thing, since I got my knee brace from my orthopedist so I have no idea where you could get it. It's got great support and really helps me. If you do see an orthopedist you could ask? The braces they have tend to be on the expensive side, because insurance doesn't pay for them, but they tend to be more supportive than the ones you buy in a drugstore - I know my knee brace is a lot better than the one I had that I'd just bought at a store. Other than that, I'd say that if you need a lot of support, get the ones that seem the most supportive but the least bulky. The only complaint I have about my knee brace is that it's kind of big and it's a pain to put pants over it.

Hi Sheila, I think the best place to start with is to ask for an orthopedic eval. You can ask your rheumy or PCP for a referral. In the mean time you may want to try ace wraps to the effected areas to give a little support. I find they are helpful with my ankles in giving support, ease pain a little (some days) and help reduce swelling. They also have elastic supports which slide on that you can try at Walmart or pharmacy's. These are good if your hands give you trouble wrapping the ace wraps. I don't care for the slide on ones because some days my ankles/feet are more swollen or tender and they are too tight. The wraps are good for me so I can adjust them as I need that day. Good luck.

I bought some ankle support wraps at CVS but I am so stiff I have trouble bending over enough to get them on. Life with RA is so-o-o much fun! Some days I can do it, some days I cannot. Last weekend I had to get my teenage grandson to put my socks on for me. Lol. What a sight that must have been!

I have a arm brace that really does help. Put it on right below my elbow and wear it all day at work and take it off when I get home. My reumy said I have tennis elbow, and my right shoulder hurt all the time!

I have two of these:
http://www.amazon.com/ACE-Moisture-Control-Support-Large/dp/B005YU8SGO/ref=sr_1_17?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346372656&sr=1-17&keywords=ace+knee+support

They provide good support and have survived many washes on delicate, I just let them air dry. A few times they were drying and I'd have to do some walking, I would just use a standard wrap, and it worked surprisingly well.

I had large bakers cysts and swelling all over my knees, they would get worse with just a trip to the grocery store. When I didn't wear the braces they got huge. Thankfully, they're in check now since I started Humira. I don't have any experience with the ankles. Hope you get to feeling better!

I have custom built shoes with short leg braces attached to them. The problem is, mt feet have changed width and shape so much that the shoes no longer fit! I am waiting on an Arizona Brace to be made right now. My right ankle has collapsed so much that my Ortho. ordered this brace to basically keep the ankle parts from totally falling apart. One bad thing about using braces on our joints is that the more you use them the weaker the joint will get. The muscles get weak and shrink from not using them. Here is link to the brace in the process of being made. It is a doctor ordered brace only.

http://www.arizonaafo.com/default/index.cfm/side-bar/product-line/standard/