Running shoe help

4 years ago I broke my tib/fib badly and tore my ankle ligaments.

Movement front back is getting better but can only get my knee about 15mm over the end of my foot when I stretch (about 30mm fkex less than the right ankle)

I’ve recently re-taken up running and doing steady 27 min 5km but now a deal of pain in my ankle ligaments (inside)

I’m off to up and running in Sheffield for gait analysis and advice this week but thought I’d try and go in with some idea about what I need also.

I used to run in Saucony neutral shoes but think I now, as a result of the ankle stiffness, run with a degree of supination but only in the left leg!

Shoes or inner soles in neutral shoes?

Road or trail?

First thing I’d ask is are you doing too much too soon? You need to start really slow and while a 27 min 5k is record pace it is quite quick, especially for a “jog”. Maybe you were super quick and that is slow to you but if you have injuries and are getting injured then I’d ease off a bit and build up much more slowly.

Supination = weight on outside edge of foot

Pronation = weight on inside edge of foot

Stability shoes are the classic go-to for overpronation, but you don’t really get supination control from a shoe – standard advice for a supinator would be to just go for a neutral shoe.

In short – I’m not sure this is something shoes are going to cure. You might be better off trying a  custom orthotics place (if indeed shoes are the answer… you probably won’t know until you try!).

Brant – mix of both buddy

Nick – 100% this but just got into the swing of it again and hate “off” time – just how I am!! I’m having a week off now sensibly – gentle gravel bike week

Finbar – cheers buddy

I used to get all sorts of knee and ankle pain when running, so gave up as a bad job…

Then I moved somewhere which allowed me to run mostly off road, plus I trained myself to fore/mid-foot strike, instead of landing on my heel, which my wife lovingly described as me looking like a demented antelope prancing along!

No idea which had the greatest benefit, but since doing those I’ve not had any of my previous issues.

I also noticed that you don’t get any of the support type language around buying trail running shoes, that seems to be more about ‘drop’ these days! I always assumed that was because on the road your foot is always landing the same way every stride and so you are getting very similar repeated stresses and strains over a whole run… whereas in trail running your foot is landing differently all the time, so the impact on you foot/ankle is different for pretty much every stride…

Anyway, I now just buying trail running shoes which are comfortable to run in… and having moved to Altra’s, with their wide toe box, I think they have ruined more normal running shoes for me!!

I found ankle supports helped with ligament pain I was getting – a lot of stop/start/ sprint/jog during refereeing. They were only cheap but made quite a difference. .https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394151134973