Basketball Shoe Height and the Maximal Muscular Resistance to Applied Ankle Inversion and Eversion Moments

To determine if the height of a basketball shoe alters the maximal inversion and eversion moment that can be actively resisted by the ankle in the frontal plane, we tested 20 healthy, young adult men with no recent ankle injuries. Subjects underwent unipedal functional ankle strength testing under weightbearing conditions at 0 degrees, 16 degrees, and 32 degrees of ankle plantar flexion using a specially designed testing apparatus. Testing was performed with the subject wearing either a low- or a three quarter-top basketball shoe. Shoe height did not significantly affect an individual's ability to actively resist an eversion moment at any angle of ankle plantar flexion. However, tests at 0 degrees of ankle plantar flexion demonstrated that the three quarter-top basketball shoe we tested significantly increased the maximal resistance to an inversion moment by 29.4%. At 16 degrees of ankle plantar flexion, inversion resistance was also significantly improved by 20.4%. These results show that athletic shoe height can significantly increase the active resistance to an inversion moment in moderate ankle plantar flexion. The findings apply to a neutral foot position in the frontal plane, an orientation equivalent to the early phase of a potential ankle sprain.