Can Textured Insoles Prevent Sports Injuries?
Now is a good time for sports players to pay close attention. A small change to athletic shoes can help prevent injuries. Adding a textured insole is the next big thing. At least, according to research, you can prevent sports injuries with textured insoles. But, health experts advise you to train better instead. So, do you need soles or just better training? Or, maybe both?
Your feet contain sensitive “sensors.” Most of these sensors are located in your soles. In fact, they provide information about the terrain. Your ankles and legs use this to maintain balance. Some footwear can mask these sensors. Specifically, smooth insoles can do this. This can increase the risk of injuries.
Insoles
Testing on Textured Insoles
An Australian physiotherapist, Waddington, studied this in-depth. He looked into how to prevent sports injuries with textured insoles while using soccer boots. They tested right and left ankle just as a sprained ankle would move. They performed this with a small device to detect the smallest amount of changes. These test subjects were either barefoot or wearing insoles in their shoes. The insoles were either textured or smooth. And the outcome was that ankle movement was far worse with smooth insoles. On the other hand, when textured insoles were used, the scores improved! In fact, it was similar to being barefoot.
How Textured Insoles Prevent Injuries
Having textured insoles may reduce the risk of injuries. But is this all you need? Many physicians don’t seem to think so. Better training is believed to be the best way to reduce these injuries. Most injuries occur as a result of an unexpected incident. Patrick McMahon, a sports medicine specialist, says an insole is not the fix.
Unexpected events leave your body unable to respond correctly. Your muscles do not act quickly enough. This causes injury. For example, a basketball player doing a layup. If he lands on another player’s shoe, his reaction will be off. A textured insole will not correct this. Injury can still occur.
A textured insole is thought to reduce injuries. But, it will not prevent them. So, if you are a sports player, try textured insoles and see what you think.
If you have been injured and need medical attention, call us at 888-409-8006. Our physicians are here to help! S.O.C. offices are conveniently located throughout South Florida.