The study also found that half of those injuries occurred when a player landed on another's foot. Also, professional basketball players brace their ankles with tape or other supportive devices which help prevent injuries. A major way recreational players can protect themselves from ankle injuries is to tape their ankles for more support and to replace their shoes after a month or two of constant wear. The shoes wear out and so do their support systems. The study, released today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine , said that almost half of the ankle injuries studied occurred during landing.
Doctors agree that landing is an akle's worst enemy when it comes to basketball.
But I have found that shoes with air cells combine stability and cushioning. These are expensive shoes and a nonprofessional player does not have the same ability to throw out a pair of shoes after a month or so when the shoe wears out. The study concluded, however, that air cells in the heel of a shoe decreases stability in the heel. The shoes contain a cushioning and stability system that consists of shock absorbers that look like suspension rods at the heel of the shoe. On the inside a cup cradles the wearer's heel which stabilizes the heel and ankle area so that twists and turns are minimal.