NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study by Australian researchers suggests that basketball players may be at greater risk for ankle injury if they wear the widely popular basketball sneakers made with air cells.

``It may be hypothesised that air cells located in the heels of basketball shoes decrease rear foot stability, which may in turn increase the risk of ankle injury,'' according to G. D. McKay of La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia, and colleagues.

In the study, 37 basketball players who injured their ankles and 360 uninjured players were interviewed and their responses were compared. The findings are published in the March 27th issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

``Players with a history of ankle injury were almost five times more likely to sustain an ankle injury,'' the authors report. In addition ``players wearing shoes with air cells in the heel were 4.3 times more likely to injure an ankle than those wearing shoes without air cells.'' Also, ``players who did not stretch before the game were 2.6 times more likely to injure an ankle than players who did,'' the researchers write.

How a basketball player lands on his or her feet is also a risk factor for injury, accounting for 45% of injuries in the study sample. Roughly 22% of the injuries in this group were sustained by players who landed on top of another player's foot, according to the report.

When asked about the validity of the findings, with respect to ankle injury in players with air cells in the heels of their shoes, Dr. Mario Lafortune of the Nike Sports Research Laboratory in Beaverton, Oregon, indicated that the study provided more questions than it answered, and that it was difficult to interpret the results. Nike, the sports shoe manufacturer, is a leading maker of sports shoes with air cells, more commonly known as ``air soles'' in the US.

Lafortune noted that ``(Nike) is providing all the support and stability required by athletes at the highest level,'' referring to the likes of former basketball superstar Michael Jordan as well as dozens of professional athletes who wear Nike basketball shoes.

``I completely disagree with this hypothesis,'' Lafortune told Reuters Health.

Nevertheless, Lafortune agreed that ``research has clearly demonstrated'' that players with a history of ankle injury are the most likely to be injured again.

The good news from the study is that there was a slight protective effect against injury in players who taped their ankles for support.

SOURCE: British Journal of Sports Medicine 2001;35:103-108.

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