Ektio, which claims to be the world's first physician-designed basketball shoe designed to prevent sprained ankles and endorsed by former NY Knick John Starks, was launched. The line will be sold at becomes available for the first time at top athletic shoe retailers including Eastbay.com and Finishline.com this December, and Amazon.com in January.
The shoes costs $199.99 a pair in men's U.S. sizes 8 – 14.
The company said the clinically-tested athletic shoe finally put to rest the decades long debate about the height of a shoe being a factor in ankle sprains. Dr. Sorin Seigler, Drexel University and Dr. Howard Hillstrom, Hospital for Special Surgery, showed the ankle sprain problem to be the separation of the sole of any shoe, at any height, to be the culprit. Ektio shoes marry the foot to the shoe with double straps built into the wall of the shoe and anti-rollover bumpers on the lateral sole. The studies showed that the shoes prevent ankle rollover without inhibiting mobility.
“According to NBA statistician Harvey Pollack's NBA Statistical Yearbook,” said Ektio inventor, Dr. Barry Katz, “ankle sprains have for 46 years been the #1 or #2 injury. 3 million ankle sprains cause 1 million ER visits annually. Only 2 months into this year's NBA season, 45 injuries have put players on the bench, 23 of which are ankle sprains. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors sprained his right ankle 3 times and will be out for up to 4 weeks.”
