Most people who play basketball have experienced an ankle sprain. Most times it’s not serious, but sometimes the ankle blows up and remains black and blue for a week. No matter how much ankle support your shoes offered, there was always the risk of landing weird and rolling your ankle. Until now.
Ektio Shoes has announced data claiming that wearing their sneakers results in a 99.2% reduction in ankle sprains. Founded by Dr. Barry Katz in 2010, Ektio Shoes makes basketball sneakers designed specifically to reduce ankle sprains. According to Dr. Katz, the shoe has “a patented system of straps, a built-in bracing mechanism, and a series of outriggers along the edge of the shoe” to prevent ankle injuries.
“These results show that people who play basketball can significantly reduce their potential for ankle sprains by wearing a shoe that is specifically designed to minimize those injuries,” said Dr. Katz. “I designed these shoes with one goal in mind – to change ankle sprains from part of life as a basketball player to a preventable injury.”
After four years on the market, Ektio feels that they have enough data to back up their claims. Based on previous studies, they estimate that ankle sprains occur at a rate of 5.5 per 1000 hours of basketball played. Assuming the average Ektio wearers played for 6 hours per week, they calculated that ankle sprains have indeed decreased by 99%.
John Starks and Rick Barry are investors and avid supporters of Ektio. If this study is anywhere near accurate, this is a huge step forward in ankle support technology. Plus, they’re look pretty cool too. Peep the video below to learn more about how Ektio’s technology works, and go cop your pair at Ektio.com. Who knows? We could be looking at the premier basketball shoe of the future.
[Ektio]
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