ok so this is the second time i turned my ankle while trail running in nike's that i got this year. this time it's really bad, as the ankle turned & i heard a pop. now i'm out for at least 2 weeks F*#Kin sh*t. could it be just the shoe. i never turned my ankle this bad before and i think it's due to the profile of nikes. anyway has anyone had problems turning ankles? what trail running shoes do you all recomend?

Yes I think some shoes are much less susceptible to turning ankles than others. In general the lower the foot bed, especially under the rear of the foot the less likely you will be to turn an ankle wearing it Heel width plays a role too, but it is more of a tradeoff. Trail shoes should be low to the ground, but this means there is a tradeoff between cushioning and height.

Ironically, the softer the trails you run, the softer your shoes must be to provide additional cushion. I wear different shoes for different terrain:

Montrail Vitesses on SJ sand/pine needles. Relatively uniform soft sole with large lugs. Despite what they look like they ventilate and dry extremely well. Great toe protection and great stability. Poor traction on rock.

5.10 Access: Great runner and light hiker for rocky trails. Great traction, great control due to a very low sole. When running on irregular rock minimal cushioning is ok because you need deliberate control of foot strike. I wouldn’t run in these on a regular hard surface like a street.

Asics street runners. Very stiff heel cushion, used only for an occasional 5K. I don’t normally run on pavement of any type. These are great walking shoe too.


Over the years:
I’ve worn Nikes with mixed results.

I found a pair of New Balance to feel annoyingly sluggish though I wasn’t particularly slow in them. I would have liked them except that they always felt like they were sapping my energy.

Former pair of Asics x-trainers. Couldn’t run in them without causing pain. Lesson learned - don’t run in x-trainers.

I own a pair of almost new Montrail Diaz Vistas that are painful for me to wear for any length of time!

What you will be happy with depends entirely on you, and what you will do with them.

Good luck with the ankle.

I'll second that - the lower the foot (thinner the sole) the LESS likely you are to roll your ankle. The one bad sprain I had (heard a pop like you, and couldn't run for 59 days) was in a pair of HiTec light day hikers. I was running in them, and a seemingly TINY bump sent my weight over the outside of the ankle. OTOH the best trail runners I ever had were a pair of 6.5 oz. racing flats.

thanks for the replies. the nike's were the acg air, so the heel is high but they are ultra cush. for now on nikes are going to be a street or carrige trail runner.

the 5.10 access and la sportiva colorado trail look like a good low profile heel shoe.
mwork i have 2 pairs of montrail diel vista, nothing good to say about those shoes. maybe good for a treadmill.

mike after the pop sound you should heard what followed. non stop cusing all the way back to my car. right now my left outside ankle bone looks like a purple softball.

eggplant with tonsils

anyone have la sportiva dragos. sportiva calls them a approach shoe (low profile shoe), wondering if the dragos can handle trail running.

Cannot help you on the Dragos but La Sportiva trail shoes in general are excellent, especially the ones with the Frixion soles. They are great for running over wet rock, work better even than Vibram soles. Their trail shoes tend to be light and low to the ground.

I agree that the lower/thinner the soles the better, to minimize stability. I turn my right ankle often regardless of what shoe I wear - apparently this trait 'runs' in my family (mother, grandmother, great-grandmother - go figure) - but have not blown it like you have. However, Montrail's Masais have nice a broad heelbase and I have rarely turned when wearing them. When racing I wear an Ace ankle sock on both feet, for extra support.

I hope you heal very soon. Plenty of massage and rubbing with an ointment containing arnica will help.

I've never had ankle issues while trail running (including off-trail bushwhacking during AR's) while wearing Salomon shoes.
I'm on my 3rd or 4th pair now. There's a reason that many of the top AR teams wear these.

As for your ankle, I'd suggest seeing an A.R.T. practitioner, asap.
(A.R.T. = Active Release Therapy, do a google search to find a local practitioner)

I badly rolled my ankle last summer just 6 weeks before my A race, and was able to recuperate enough w/ the (very painful, but effective) help of A.R.T. treatments to be able to complete the race.

In the meantime, lots of RICE (Rest, Ice, Complaining , Elevation) will do wonders.

I thought RICE stood for Really Intense Competitive Exercise.

So that is where I have been going wrong.....

well it's been a month and i'm still nursing this freaking ankle. it's about 50% now and i'm about 20lbs overweight