Trust issues with shoes after severe ankle sprain???

[StringingIrvine]

Long time barricade wearer. I tried GR2's when they came out, wore them out within a a month, went back to barricades. Last 6 months i tried GR5's and loved them except the colors. I tried the nike air max cages as they had an all white colorway i liked. First 2 weeks were painful, arch pains out the wahooz and blisters on arches and on toes, i had the same custom insoles i had in my GR5s. Play offs last weekend suffered a severe sprain wearing air max cages.

As soon as i sprained my ankle it swelled up like a balloon. It looked like i had a soft ball under my skin. I've had sprains before but nothing like this. Doc said i had a grade bad grade 2 maybe 3 sprain. Gave me a walking boot, crutches, and a handicap placard for 2 months.

I did some research and ended up ordering some ASO EVO braces in which i'll be wearing full time when play tennis even after the heal. I do plenty of other physical activities that will help me strengthen my ankle so i'm not worried about my ankles being dependent on the braces. I would much rather not suffer the pain i went through the past week ever again.

I'm still not healed, Doc said maybe 2 months before i'm playing again and thats sticking to my PT schedule. When i look at my nike max cages i want to just throw them in the trash (i'll prob sell them used). I know its not the shoes fault i sprained my ankle but i just don't trust them anymore.

So here's my question to you guys:

Have any of you suffered an injury which gave you second thoughts about the specific shoe you were wearing when the injury occurred?

I'm not superstitious at all. Maybe I just justifying getting new shoes =p
I thought it might be interesting conversation.

 

[fuzzfactory]

Yup, rolled my ankles twice in Nike Vapor Tours and NEVER wore them for tennis again. I've sworn off Nikes for anything other than running ever since... they look and feel great but they offer no support.

Anyway right after my sprains, I felt exactly like you. Got ASOs, wore them on both ankles, and just accepted the fact that I will probably be a clunky, sluggish player for the rest of my life lol. I got Barricades and although they are stable as a rock, it didn't help my feeling like a robot. I realized that the reason I hadn't felt confident was because I'm so damn high off the ground... the heels of most tennis shoes are so high that I feel like I'm playing on a platform. Sure the cushioning is great but I can't feel anything. I attributed my lack of confidence to this lack of feel of the ground.. the thought of my ankles rolling over the heel all the way to the ground below never allowed me to move with the same confidence as before.

After reading the thread on playing tennis in minimalist shoes, I decided to give the NB Minimus MT10v2s a try and WOW... what a difference. They are only a few millimeters off the ground which greatly increases my body's sense of proprioception. I feel like I'm gripping the ground with my feet as I run and they are so low I can't see myself rolling over my ankles in them. The tactile feedback coming from the minimal cushioning is what really allowed me to start wailing away and chasing every ball down again. The few drawbacks that come with it, I've grown to live with. The absence of lateral support is allowing my ankles to get stronger as my body is constantly adjusting to compensate... and there is no fear of rolling an ankle over as they are so low to the ground. Of course durability is an issue but for what its worth, your health and ability to enjoy this sport is priceless. Also, I do get a few little blisters here and there, but they have become calloused and it isn't much of a problem anymore.

Sounds crazy I know but if you're desperate like me, worth a shot. It's done wonders for me. I played against a friend who's a computer rated NTRP 5.0 today (a full rating above me) and although I got creamed (like I always do against him), I still managed to chase down most of his shots with confidence in my legs and ankles. Right after I made the transition it was hard, but your body learns to compensate.

I can't wait til a low, zero-drop tennis shoe with lateral durability is made. Don't think I can ever go back to playing in platform tennis shoes anymore!

 

[Vertiz]

I've had the same experience. Sprained my left ankle pretty badly in state semis back in highschool while wearing Barricade 7s. They are an amazing shoe and offer unreal stability/support but I cannot bring myself to wear them anymore. I immediately threw them away and have since been using Adidas Feather 2s. Great shoe, still use them.

 

[ultradr]

Tried Head shows one time 7,8 years ago. It was classic looking, supposedly italian leather shoes taht I don't remember. Loved it and then tried another model of Head shoe lines. Sprained ankle and never purchased Head shoes. I'll probably try another if they come up with interesting shoes though.

 

[Ace47]

To prevent ankle sprains use a blood flow stimulator before playing, they bring extra blood to the ankle which prevents stiffness. Unfortunately I was too late but it works great post-sprain as well. I was stubborn and went back to playing after 1 week of rest and continually re-sprained it, finally got to the point where weeks after I couldn't drive without pain (it's my right ankle). A couple days with the stimulator and I was feeling great, now I don't get flare ups or anything, I swear by it. There's a couple out there I think, I got mine from King Brand, I'll put a link in below.

http://www.kingbrand.com/Ankle_Sprain_Treatment.php?REF=52PV27