Guest Blog by Dr. Barry Katz.
The Ektio shoe is a relatively new product aimed at preventing ankle injuries in basketball players and other athletes. There are a number of ways the Ektio shoe prevents most ankle sprains. Here are the top 4.
- The Ektio shoe simulates the barefoot condition. Ankle sprains occur when a person lands on an uneven surface, such as another player’s foot. In this case, the shoe will roll (invert) and the stresses will go from the bottom of the foot to the lateral ligaments. There is complete disassociation between the shoe and the foot during this rollover. A barefoot ankle (and the Ektio shoe) can invert around 20-25 degrees, providing greater protection against ankle sprains.
- The Ektio shoe weds the ankle and the shoe into a single cohesive unit in order to prevent the shoe from rolling over. Since the shoe becomes essentially part of the foot, the unit simulates the barefoot condition, making it very unlikely to sprain.
- The built in brace support is revolutionary. Athletes that wear tape and braces often sprain and re-sprain their ankles. Why? Because the tape and brace is attached to the ankle but NOT to the shoe itself. The shoe can still roll, and thus inversion ankle sprains will reoccur. With the Ektio shoe, the support brings the foot and shoe together, as a single unit. In addition, the Ektio technology only inhibits inversion. The other 5 motions of the ankle (eversion, internal and external rotation, plantar, and dorsiflexion) are not inhibited at all.
- There are also lateral “bumpers” at the junction of the calcaneus and cuboid and adjacent to the head of the 5th metatarsal. If there is a tendency to roll over (as in patients with proprioceptive problems or someone slipping on a wet floor), the bumpers will prevent the rollover from occurring. So, the straps help when you are up in the air and land on a foot or a curb, and the bumpers come into play when you are on the ground. The bumpers are actually on the non-weight bearing surface of the shoe and are elevated one inch off the ground. They only come into play when inversion stresses appear.
Dr. Silverman fully supports the Ektio shoe – “If more professional basketball players wore this shoe, I would have much less to write about!”
About the author
Dr. Barry Katz is an orthopedic radiologist and the CEO of Ektio. Barry graduated from the University of Rochester medical school, and received his MBA from Babson Business College. In 2004, he patented the Ektio shoe and shortly thereafter, launched the Ektio company.
