BASKETBALL SHOE HEIGHT AND THE MAXIMAL MUSCULAR RESISTANCE TO APPLIEDANKLE INVERSION AND EVERSION MOMENTS

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