Twisted ankles and jerking knees

Not exactly known for sensationalism, the British Journal of Sports Medicine has just published what sounds like a very interesting study showing that among amateur basketball players, those who wore shoes with air cells in the heel (that'll be Nikes, then) were four times more susceptible to ankle injuries. This was reported by ABC News, which immediately called up a number of doctors who hadn't read the report to rubbish it.

There was a Dr Jon Shriner of the Michigan Center for Athletic Medicine in Flint, Michigan, for instance, who said that "the air-soled shoes, like those in the Nike basketball line, do not contribute to ankle injuries," without giving any reasons for his beliefs. Of course, the fact that Centers for Athletic Medicine probably get a lot of money from Nike, or at the very least from athletes sponsored by Nike, would never influence Dr Shriner's opinion -- or get reported by ABC News.

The article continues: "A major way recreational players can protect themselves from ankle injuries is to tape their ankles for more support and to replace their shoes after a month or two of constant wear. The shoes wear out and so do their support systems." Ah, yes, of course. A couple of months after buying my new $150 Air Shoks, I'm going to go out and replace them. I don't think.

Oh, and I was going to link to the Nike Air Shok page, but the site is so horrible, with Flash 4 and pop-up windows and no URLs, that I can't. Sorry.

Posted by Felix at 2:01 EST