High- versus low-top shoes for the prevention of ankle sprains in basketball players

TLDR

A prospective, randomized study enrolled 622 college intramural basketball players, stratified by prior ankle sprain history, who wore high‑top, high‑top with inflatable air chambers, or low‑top shoes exclusively during competition for a full season, with baseline ankle examinations and questionnaires collected. Across 39,302 minutes of play, 15 ankle injuries occurred (7 in high‑top, 4 in low‑top, 4 in high‑top with inflatable chambers), yielding injury rates of 4.80×10⁻⁴, 4.06×10⁻⁴, and 2.69×10⁻⁴ per player‑minute, and the differences were not statistically significant, indicating no strong association between shoe type and ankle sprains.

Abstract

Using a prospective, randomized experimental design, 622 college intramural basketball players were stratified by a previous history of ankle sprains to wear a new pair of either high-top, high-top with inflatable air cham bers, or low-top basketball shoes during all games for a complete season. Subjects were asked to complete a history questionnaire and were given a complete ankle examination. They were allowed to wear these shoes only during basketball competition. Followed over the course of a 2-month intramural season, 15 ankle injuries occurred during 39,302 minutes of player-time: 7 in high-top shoes, 4 in low-top shoes, and 4 in high-top shoes with inflatable air chambers. The injury rates (injuries per player-minute) were 4.80 × 10 -4 in high-top shoes, 4.06 x 10 -4 in low-top shoes, and 2.69 x 10 -4 in high-top shoes with inflatable air chambers. There was no significant difference among these 3 groups, leading to the conclusion that there is no strong rela tionship between shoe type and ankle sprains.