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Running
#124 Alan Needle | The Brain-Ankle Connection, Injury Prevention, & Running for the Long Haul
The Midpacker Podcast›
Sep 29, 20261:33:16
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“In order to treat these injuries, we need to treat the brain.”
Dr. Alan Needle has spent more than a decade running ultras while building a research career around a problem most trail runners know all too well: rolling an ankle.
In this episode, Troy talks with Alan about his work at Appalachian State studying chronic ankle instability and the surprising role the brain and nervous system may play in repeated injuries. Alan explains how changes in proprioception and the way the brain communicates with a joint can affect stability, and why treating an injury may require looking beyond the ankle itself.
Now Alan is bringing that research directly onto the trails. His team is studying runners at races across the Southeast to understand why one runner falls or rolls an ankle while another doesn't.
They dig into:
The connection between the brain, nervous system, and ankle stability
Proprioception, attention, and cognitive load
Alan's "parking lot theory" and why runners may get hurt when they let their guard down
Balance and strength training for ankle stability
Burnout and Alan's decision to work with a sports psychologist
Trading work-life balance for "work-life rhythm"
Building longevity through rest and self-kindness
Alan's birthday run to Grandfather Mountain and Run Raft adventures
After 14 years of ultrarunning, Alan's perspective is refreshingly simple: fitness comes and goes, training ebbs and flows, and staying in the sport for the long haul sometimes means accepting that "that was what it needed to be."
Alan’s Links
Alan Needle | Appalachian State
App State Injury Lab + Trail Running StudyMost Recent Trail Running Study - this is paywalled if interested in reading I can get you a PDF
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Alan Needle, Appalachian State, Injury Lab, trail running, ultrarunning, chronic ankle instability, ankle sprains, proprioception, neuroscience, nervous system, injury prevention, balance training, trail running injuries, attention, cognitive load, Fonta Flora, Tanawha Adventures, Dirty Wolf Racing, burnout, sports psychology, work-life rhythm, running longevity, 100 milers, Western North Carolina
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"#124 Alan Needle | The Brain-Ankle Connection, Injury Prevention, & Running for the Long Haul" is an episode of The Midpacker Podcast. Runtime 1 hr 33 min. Published September 29, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.
