Everyone who plays basketball believes that you HAVE to wear high top basketball shoes to protect against ankle sprains. But do these shoes actually protect your ankles? Well, if they did, then why are people getting 25,000 sprained ankles a day, many in the sport of basketball, most of whom wear high top basketball shoes?
I play a lot of basketball myself and I used to wear high top basketball shoes for years, just like everyone else. But, I learned the reality is that they offer VERY limited protection to your ankles, even if you lace them up tight.
The reason is that they are meant to be comfortable and therefore are flimsy around the ankle. They are not like an ankle brace or tape. If these shoes were that tight, then why would anyone need a brace or tape? The reality is that they offer very mild support to the ankles. It is a nice illusion that they protect against ankle sprains, but an illusion nonetheless.
If you want to protect against a sprained ankle in basketball you have two choices:
1) Wear ankle braces or tape, so that your ankle is so immobilized that it cannot twist at all. This is not 100% protection, but it can help a lot against a sprained ankle. What most people do NOT realize is that your ankle is supposed to be mobile. When you immobilize it, it not only makes you significantly slower, it also puts the knee at great risk of a tear.
Think about it… if you immobilize the ankle, when you move, the body has to get the mobility from somewhere in the lower body… and it does this by going up to the next joint (the knee). The problem is the knee is supposed to be stable and can only safely move a few degrees. So, forcing the knee to move too far is very dangerous.
So, an ankle brace and tape protects agains a sprained ankle, but puts you at increased risk fro an ACL or MCL tear in the knee and to me, that is far more serious. Read more about knee pain and ankle braces >>
2) You can strengthen ankles and improve mobility through a wide variety of proper ankle exercises and stretches. This way your ankles will be naturally strong and much more resistant to sprains. It does not protect you 100%, but neither does an ankle brace. But, unlike a brace, you will have increased speed and athletic performance AND your knees will be at a DECREASED risk of injury.
In fact, I have stepped on peoples feet (the usual cause of a sprained ankle in basketball) and my ankle will twist with force, but it does NOT sprain. My ankle has enough flexibility to come right back with an extremely minor sprain or no sprain at all. But, that is because I have worked my ankle with the proper exercises and stretches to prepare it for that kind of twisting force. And the work has paid off many times!
So, what kind of shoes do I wear when I play basketball? I like Nike Free. They are extremely light and comfortable. Everyone always asks me why I would wear a low top running shoes for basketball, and I always tell them what I have just explained to you. Shoes do not protect you against a sprain, a strong and flexible ankle protects you. So, why not wear a shoe that is light and extremely comfortable? That is why I created the Prehab section in the HEM Ankle Rehab System.
HEM Ankle Rehab
It was designed for people with old injuries, weak ankles or even healthy ankles that need to be strengthened and mobilized properly. You can follow it and you will see great results in a relatively short period of times (2-4 weeks).
Do this: Try some ankle exercises and stretches everyday for a week and then see if you disagree with me. I think you will be extremely surprised and happy to learn your ankles are much more resilient than you think, if you just prepare them properly.
Secret of the Pros
Everything You Need To Heal At Home
So, Why Rehab?
Most people think rest and ice will heal their ankle (even a severe sprain), but they end up with chronic ankle instability… 30% still have pain one year later!
And that causes all kinds of muscle imbalances in the body, which can lead more serious injuries, repeated ankle sprains and chronic ankle pain. It’s a terrible domino effect that can last for life.
That’s Where Rehab Comes In.
A great rehab program significantly improves how a sprained ankle heals. It eliminates pain fast and ensures your ankles are strong and stable with healthy range of motion, which helps prevent future sprains.
Rehab Is The Key To
Healing Ankle Injuries Fast
Recent studies have shown that rehab heals ankle ligaments safely and effectively. It’s the difference between the people that don’t heal a sprained ankle and the ones that do!
Injured Ankle
Without Rehab
Injured Ankle
With Rehab
HEM Ankle Rehab “Rehabs” Your Ankle
HEM is a complete ankle rehab and prehab program for the entire ankle, foot and calf complex. This is a very thorough program that contains so much more than anything else you can find online, but it’s still easy to do.
Scott will coach you through every step, as if you are with him, one on one. Just follow along with the videos to rebuild your ankle from the ground up.
You can expect pain free mobility and strong, stable ankles that are protected from an ankle sprain, without ankle braces!
REAL PEOPLE, REAL RESULTS
-
Steven Kornfeld, CPT, PES, CES, FMS ,| -
Casey Moriarty, Owner, The Runner's Resource ,| -
Greg Shaible, DPT, Licensed Physical Therapist ,| -
Wayne Slappy, S.H.O.T.T.S. Basketball Academy ,|
From Scott Malin, NASM-CPT, CES
Creator, HEM Ankle Rehab
August 28, 2025
Fifteen years ago, I had to give up what I love doing most… playing basketball. I sprained my ankles so many times that I could no longer play. It was devastating.
Like you, I used R.I.C.E. (rest, ice elevation, compression), but my ankles healed so slowly and badly, they eventually got so weak, I would sprain them just walking down the street!
Being a fitness trainer, the only thing I had going for me was a fascination with helping people get out of pain and strengthening their bodies.
So, I decided to research all the cutting edge techniques to heal an ankle sprain much faster and better than R.I.C.E.
After months of research, I discovered that icing an injury can have a negative affect on the body’s healing process. Studies show that ice can actually slow down healing and too much rest left the ankles weak and unstable. This was shocking, but only part of the story…
New research was suggesting a much more proactive approach to healing that involved much better rehab techniques proven to dramatically speed up the speed and quality of the healing process.
Instead of months, healing took only days. And, if you had a chronically weak ankle that was in pain, these techniques would quickly strengthen and stabilize the ankles.
I kept improving on these techniques, drawing from many different disciplines and simplified them.
Eventually, after many more months of trial and error, I created a simple at-home healing system with very reliable results.
Since I was a fitness trainer, I was able to help all my clients (celebrities and athletes) whenever they got injured. I was even on the news a few times.
The response from my clients and friends was so overwhelming that a few of them eventually convinced me to share it with everyone.
Today, I am humbled that over 100,000 people have healed fully and fast with my program.
So, if you have any kind of ankle injury (new or old), just follow along with me in the videos and I’ll show you exactly what to do until you are completely pain free.
My message is simple… you do not have to give up what you love. And you do not have to live with chronic pain from old injuries. Life is too short and there is a better way!
I truly hope you will start using my program so you can get your life back and do what you love, pain free (and yes, I still play basketball every week and LOVE it!)
Thank you!
Scott
Heal Your Ankle FAST ⇣
30 day money back guarantee
15 YEARS. 100K HEALED.
Secret of the Pros
Everything You Need To Heal At Home
REAL PEOPLE,
REAL RESULTS
So, Why Rehab?
Most people think rest and ice will heal their ankle (even a severe sprain), but they end up with chronic ankle instability… 30% still have pain one year later!
And that causes all kinds of muscle imbalances in the body, which can lead more serious injuries, repeated ankle sprains and chronic ankle pain. It’s a terrible domino effect that can last for life.
That’s Where Rehab Comes In.
A great rehab program significantly improves how a sprained ankle heals. It eliminates pain fast and ensures your ankles are strong and stable with healthy range of motion, which helps prevent future sprains.
Rehab Is The Key To
Healing Ankle Injuries Fast
Recent studies have shown that rehab heals ankle ligaments safely and effectively. It’s the difference between the people that don’t heal a sprained ankle and the ones that do!
Injured Ankle
Without Rehab
Injured Ankle
With Rehab
HEM Ankle Rehab
“Rehabs” Your Ankle
HEM is a complete ankle rehab and prehab program for the entire ankle, foot and calf complex. This is a very thorough program that contains so much more than anything else you can find online, but it’s still easy to do.
Scott will coach you through every step, as if you are with him, one on one. Just follow along with the videos to rebuild your ankle from the ground up.
You can expect pain free mobility and strong, stable ankles that are protected from an ankle sprain, without ankle braces!
100,000 PEOPLE HEALED-
-
-
-
-
Greg Shaible, DPT,
Licensed Physical Therapist
,
|
-
-
-
-
Casey Moriarty,
Owner, The Runner's Resource
,
|
-
Wayne Slappy,
S.H.O.T.T.S. Basketball Academy
,
|
-
-
-
-
Steven Kornfeld,
CPT, PES, CES, FMS
,
|
-
-
-
-
-
Greg Shaible, DPT, Licensed Physical Therapist ,|
-
Casey Moriarty, Owner, The Runner's Resource ,|
-
Wayne Slappy, S.H.O.T.T.S. Basketball Academy ,|
-
Steven Kornfeld, CPT, PES, CES, FMS ,|
From Scott Malin, NASM-CPT, CES
Creator, HEM Ankle Rehab
August 28, 2025
Fifteen years ago, I had to give up what I love doing most… playing basketball. I sprained my ankles so many times that I could no longer play. It was devastating.
Like you, I used R.I.C.E. (rest, ice elevation, compression), but my ankles healed so slowly and badly, they eventually got so weak, I would sprain them just walking down the street!
Being a fitness trainer, the only thing I had going for me was a fascination with helping people get out of pain and strengthening their bodies.
So, I decided to research all the cutting edge techniques to heal an ankle sprain much faster and better than R.I.C.E.
After months of research, I discovered that icing an injury can have a negative affect on the body’s healing process. Studies show that ice can actually slow down healing and too much rest left the ankles weak and unstable. This was shocking, but only part of the story…
New research was suggesting a much more proactive approach to healing that involved much better rehab techniques proven to dramatically speed up the speed and quality of the healing process.
Instead of months, healing took only days. And, if you had a chronically weak ankle that was in pain, these techniques would quickly strengthen and stabilize the ankles.
I kept improving on these techniques, drawing from many different disciplines and simplified them.
Eventually, after many more months of trial and error, I created a simple at-home healing system with very reliable results.
Since I was a fitness trainer, I was able to help all my clients (celebrities and athletes) whenever they got injured. I was even on the news a few times.
The response from my clients and friends was so overwhelming that a few of them eventually convinced me to share it with everyone.
Today, I am humbled that over 100,000 people have healed fully and fast with my program.
So, if you have any kind of ankle injury (new or old), just follow along with me in the videos and I’ll show you exactly what to do until you are completely pain free.
My message is simple… you do not have to give up what you love. And you do not have to live with chronic pain from old injuries. Life is too short and there is a better way!
I truly hope you will start using my program so you can get your life back and do what you love, pain free (and yes, I still play basketball every week and LOVE it!)
Thank you!
Scott
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