Stability perception impact by a low-friction lateral shoe edge

Abstract

A recent RCT study has shown that a low-friction lateral patches (Spraino#) prevents 53% of severe ankle injuries in division level athletes and decrease injury time by two-thirds (Lysdal et al., 2021). This patch solution has been developed into a shoe with Spraino elements built in. This makes it an attractive method in primary prevention, with no hassle for the athlete, and for secondary prevention, where first line methods such as taping and rehabilitation, have poor adherence. The shoe integration also allows the solution the fine tune positive effects and avoid adverse effects. The shoes were constructed not to impact lateral forefoot traction in non-injury situations. In shoe research, the 100mm VAS scale has been used as reliable measure of comfort and we therefore recorded perception of stability using this scale (Menz & Bonanno, 2021). Movements such as side hop and jumping with a lateral direction creates a lateral centre of pressure and can cause lateral ankle sprains, making them relevant for testing lateral shoe friction perception.