When you look onto a basketball court and see the players jumping, running and dribbling, you cannot help but notice their shoes. High top shoes have been around for almost a 100 years and are the most commonly worn shoes in basketball. But are they a fashion statement, or do they serve a higher purpose of preventing ankle sprains? To understand the high top shoe, you need to know the history and design.
History
The shoe company Converse introduced the first high top shoes specifically for basketball around 1917, and the basketball player Chuck Taylor promoted and made the shoes famous. Eventually, other shoe companies like Nike and Reebok started to manufacture high top basketball shoes, which provided a greater variety and competition. High top shoes were and continue to be a huge fashion statement on and off the basketball court, but they were not initially marketed as a shoe that prevented ankle sprains. Instead, high tops were the shoes basketball players like Chuck Taylor and Michael Jordan wore, and if they were good enough for them, they were good enough for all basketball players.
Shoe Design
Now days, the original All Star high top shoe is considered a street shoe, not a performance shoe, and improved technology and design has created new generations of basketball high tops. In fact, many of the high top basketball shoes of today lack the ankle height of high tops of previous generations. However, the goal of the original high top and those of today are quite similar. Basketball high top shoes are designed with the purpose to provide ankle support while staying flexible, so players can move comfortably and perform their best.
Injury Prevention
Along with helping to improve performance and make a fashion statement, high top shoes may also help prevent ankle sprains, which is the most common injury among basketball players, according to the "Journal of Athletic Training." A 2000 Brigham Young University study published in the journal found that high top shoes did out perform low top shoes when comparing the amount of ankle inversion athletes experienced. Therefore, high top shoes may be considered one prevention method against inversion ankle sprains while playing basketball.
Considerations
In order for high top shoes to provide the most ankle protection, they need to be the appropriate size and fit. High top shoes alone may not provide enough ankle protection for players who have experienced ankle sprains in the past. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the muscles around the ankle and wear an ankle brace or orthotics along with high tops to prevent future ankle sprains.
References
- The Atlantic Coast Conference; Preventing Ankle Injuries; J. Marc Davis, P.T., A.T.C.; Feb. 7, 2006
- "Popular Mechanics"; The Classic Sneaker: Seven Decades of Cool; Joe Skorupa; June 1991
- "Journal of Athletic Training"; Effects of High-Top and Low-Top Shoes on Ankle Inversion; Mark D. Ricard, Ph.D., et al.; 2000
- "Journal of Athletic Training"; Injuries and Illnesses in the National Basketball Association: A 10-Year Perspective; Chad Starkey, Ph.D., A.T.C.; 2000
