High tops have become the go-to shoe of choice for basketball players regardless of age or level of play. But how do they impact ankle and knee mechanics, or ground reaction forces when coming down from a rebound, blocked shot, or layup?
A new study of collegiate male basketball players found high top shoes with arch supports significantly increased stability at the ankle joint. Great news, right?! Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of increased loading at adjacent joints in the forefoot and knee. So where does that leave us?
We still recommend high top shoes for protection agains the nagging ankle sprain, but with a few precautions to mitigate the excessive forces. Check out our infographic for a few quick tips!
Sources:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15438627.2021.1888102?journalCode=gspm20
https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/11/1/article-p74.xml
