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.
Heal Right Now
15 YEARS. 100K HEALED.
Once I started HEM, the swelling and bruising subsided significantly and on the 4th day, I was walking comfortably again. I was shocked!
– Erikka Fernando
Thank you so much! It’s pretty amazing that I am doing as much as I am after a severe sprained ankle! Thanks for your support!!!
– Laurie Prindle
From the desk of Scott Malin, NASM-CPT
Creator, HEM Ankle Rehab
October 14, 2024
If you want to heal your ankle fully & fast…
And get back to doing what you love PAIN-FREE, without the fear of re-injury…
This will be the most important thing you ever do for yourself.
Here’s why:
My name is Scott Malin and fifteen years ago, I had to give up what I love… playing basketball. It literally crushed me to give it up!!
But, I had sprained my ankles so many times that I could no longer play.
Every time it happened, I used R.I.C.E. (rest, ice elevation, compression), but my ankles took months to heal and just kept getting weaker and more painful.
I tried everything, including ankle braces, but they made my ankles even weaker and then my knees started hurting too!
When I sprained my ankle one last time and had to crawl off the court, I knew I was done.
That night, I sat in my apartment and cried.
I was in my early thirties and thought I had to give up what I loved for the rest of my life.
But, I had no other option…
My ankles were just way too weak, stiff and unstable and painkillers/ice did nothing anymore.
As I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, I remembered back to when I trained with a clinician for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Soft Tissue Therapist for the Los Angeles Clippers.
I also thought about a revolutionary Naturopath that taught me so much about healing the body naturally.
Then, I came up with a crazy idea…
It instantly improved how my ankle felt.
And the more I did it, the better my ankle got.
By day 6, my ankle was 100% pain-free and felt stronger and more stable than BEFORE I got injured.
The best part… I PLAYED BASKETBALL AGAIN, BUT THERE WAS NO PAIN!!
Afterward, I cried again, but they were tears of joy!!
When I told them what I did, my basketball buddies laughed and said I was crazy.
They called me a “dreamer”.
But, I didn’t care.
Because I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I threw my ankle braces away.
After months of late nights, early mornings, and lots of trial and error…
I created a complete, at-home healing system with incredibly reliable results:
- Heals new ankle injuries including ANY type and grade of ankle sprain.
- Heals old ankle injuries that never fully healed.
- Heals weak and unstable ankles.
- Even heals most Achilles, calf and foot injuries!
Since I was a fitness trainer, I was able to help all my clients (celebrities and athletes) whenever they got injured (which happened a lot!).
I was even on the news a few times!!!
The response from my clients was so overwhelming that a few of them eventually convinced me to make it available to everyone.
And even though it is incredibly complete, I always wanted to keep it SUPER simple and easy to do.
So, just follow along with me on any device and that’s it!
You get instant access to all the videos, which are short and focused on quickly giving you the information you need.
I will show you the absolute BEST rehab techniques, exercises, stretches, activations, holistic techniques, prehab techniques, etc….
These are techniques you will NOT find online anywhere else.
You will learn the perfect form for everything to get the best possible results.
It has taken many years of incredibly hard and dedicated work, but I am so humbled that over 100,000 people have healed themselves fully and fast with my program.
If you don’t believe me, please, check out all the reviews, including video testimonials, before and after pictures, etc. from people of all ages.
And listen, I know you’re probably still skeptical. That’s totally fair…
That’s why we have a very simple, no hassle, 30 day money back guarantee, so it’s completely risk-free to give it a try right now.
I created this program, because I don’t want others to go through all the pain and misery that I did!!
I don’t want anyone else to give up what they love…
Life is too short!!!
And now, there’s an easy way you can heal yourself and get back to your life.
I wish you all the best and thank you!!
Heal Right Now
Heal Right Now
15 YEARS. 100K HEALED.
Once I started HEM, the swelling and bruising subsided significantly and on the 4th day, I was walking comfortably again. I was shocked!
– Erikka Fernando
Thank you so much! It’s pretty amazing that I am doing as much as I am after a severe sprained ankle! Thanks for your support!!!
– Laurie Prindle
From the desk of Scott Malin, NASM-CPT
Creator, HEM Ankle Rehab
October 14, 2024
If you want to heal your ankle fully & fast…
And get back to doing what you love PAIN-FREE, without the fear of re-injury…
This will be the most important thing you ever do for yourself.
Here’s why:
My name is Scott Malin and fifteen years ago, I had to give up what I love… playing basketball. It literally crushed me to give it up!!
But, I had sprained my ankles so many times that I could no longer play.
Every time it happened, I used R.I.C.E. (rest, ice elevation, compression), but my ankles took months to heal and just kept getting weaker and more painful.
I tried everything, including ankle braces, but they made my ankles even weaker and then my knees started hurting too!
When I sprained my ankle one last time and had to crawl off the court, I knew I was done.
That night, I sat in my apartment and cried.
I was in my early thirties and thought I had to give up what I loved for the rest of my life.
But, I had no other option…
My ankles were just way too weak, stiff and unstable and painkillers/ice did nothing anymore.
As I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, I remembered back to when I trained with a clinician for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Soft Tissue Therapist for the Los Angeles Clippers.
I also thought about a revolutionary Naturopath that taught me so much about healing the body naturally.
Then, I came up with a crazy idea…
It instantly improved how my ankle felt.
And the more I did it, the better my ankle got.
By day 6, my ankle was 100% pain-free and felt stronger and more stable than BEFORE I got injured.
The best part… I PLAYED BASKETBALL AGAIN, BUT THERE WAS NO PAIN!!
Afterward, I cried again, but they were tears of joy!!
When I told them what I did, my basketball buddies laughed and said I was crazy.
They called me a “dreamer”.
But, I didn’t care.
Because I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I threw my ankle braces away.
After months of late nights, early mornings, and lots of trial and error…
I created a complete, at-home healing system with incredibly reliable results:
- Heals new ankle injuries including ANY type and grade of ankle sprain.
- Heals old ankle injuries that never fully healed.
- Heals weak and unstable ankles.
- Even heals most Achilles, calf and foot injuries!
Since I was a fitness trainer, I was able to help all my clients (celebrities and athletes) whenever they got injured (which happened a lot!).
I was even on the news a few times!!!
The response from my clients was so overwhelming that a few of them eventually convinced me to make it available to everyone.
And even though it is incredibly complete, I always wanted to keep it SUPER simple and easy to do.
So, just follow along with me on any device and that’s it!
You get instant access to all the videos, which are short and focused on quickly giving you the information you need.
I will show you the absolute BEST rehab techniques, exercises, stretches, activations, holistic techniques, prehab techniques, etc….
These are techniques you will NOT find online anywhere else.
You will learn the perfect form for everything to get the best possible results.
It has taken many years of incredibly hard and dedicated work, but I am so humbled that over 100,000 people have healed themselves fully and fast with my program.
If you don’t believe me, please, check out all the reviews, including video testimonials, before and after pictures, etc. from people of all ages.
And listen, I know you’re probably still skeptical. That’s totally fair…
That’s why we have a very simple, no hassle, 30 day money back guarantee, so it’s completely risk-free to give it a try right now.
I created this program, because I don’t want others to go through all the pain and misery that I did!!
I don’t want anyone else to give up what they love…
Life is too short!!!
And now, there’s an easy way you can heal yourself and get back to your life.
I wish you all the best and thank you!!
Heal Right Now
REAL PEOPLE, REAL RESULTS
Just got your videos for the holistic rehab the other day. It has already helped and I am so grateful as I know Drs want to cut you open and ask questions later. My left ankle is very badly sprained, completely black and purple and swollen half way up my calf. I am an athlete and have zero intentions of being cut on now or in the future! It was a major eversion off a curb and I just want it to get back to normal. Thanks so much for putting this HEM ankle rehab together, it's a godsend! Have a beautiful day.
Warm regards,
Faith Washington BSPharm, RPh, CSCS, CPT
Hey there,
I literally purchased this program about 20 minutes ago, and now having gotten partially through the videos... The content is already blowing my mind and I feel like this will be information I'll carry with me the rest of my life... Thank you for this info! Clearly you are a master of PT.
Hello Mr. Malin,
I want to thank you for this website. In the end of november, I sprained my ankle and my doctor said that there is an avulsion fracture in my ankle(ATFL). I had really hard times after this incident. When I was looking for how to heal fast, I saw your website. I tried to do as much as different exercises that you showed. Now I face some difficulties during my daily life due to my foot but swelling is decreasing everyday thanks to exercises. Especially, the video about how to activate ankle is very beneficial for me.
Thanks for your support both mentally and physically.
Sincerely,
Orhun Oktar, Electrical and Electronics Engineer
Your program is great. I actually broke one ankle and sprained the other. I just got the cast off and will begin rehab on that ankle now.
I bought your Hem Ankle program in 2018 and used it very successfully with THREE ankle injuries. I am also interested to buy the programme for knees etc.
Heal Right Now
REAL PEOPLE, REAL RESULTS
Just got your videos for the holistic rehab the other day. It has already helped and I am so grateful as I know Drs want to cut you open and ask questions later. My left ankle is very badly sprained, completely black and purple and swollen half way up my calf. I am an athlete and have zero intentions of being cut on now or in the future! It was a major eversion off a curb and I just want it to get back to normal. Thanks so much for putting this HEM ankle rehab together, it's a godsend! Have a beautiful day.
Warm regards,
Faith Washington BSPharm, RPh, CSCS, CPT
Hey there,
I literally purchased this program about 20 minutes ago, and now having gotten partially through the videos... The content is already blowing my mind and I feel like this will be information I'll carry with me the rest of my life... Thank you for this info! Clearly you are a master of PT.
Hello Mr. Malin,
I want to thank you for this website. In the end of november, I sprained my ankle and my doctor said that there is an avulsion fracture in my ankle(ATFL). I had really hard times after this incident. When I was looking for how to heal fast, I saw your website. I tried to do as much as different exercises that you showed. Now I face some difficulties during my daily life due to my foot but swelling is decreasing everyday thanks to exercises. Especially, the video about how to activate ankle is very beneficial for me.
Thanks for your support both mentally and physically.
Sincerely,
Orhun Oktar, Electrical and Electronics Engineer
Your program is great. I actually broke one ankle and sprained the other. I just got the cast off and will begin rehab on that ankle now.
I bought your Hem Ankle program in 2018 and used it very successfully with THREE ankle injuries. I am also interested to buy the programme for knees etc.
Heal Right Now
Heal Right Now
15 YEARS. 100K HEALED.
Once I started HEM, the swelling and bruising subsided significantly and on the 4th day, I was walking comfortably again. I was shocked!
– Erikka Fernando
Thank you so much! It’s pretty amazing that I am doing as much as I am after a severe sprained ankle! Thanks for your support!!!
– Laurie Prindle
From the desk of Scott Malin, NASM-CPT
Creator, HEM Ankle Rehab
October 14, 2024
If you want to heal your ankle fully & fast…
And get back to doing what you love PAIN-FREE, without the fear of re-injury…
This will be the most important thing you ever do for yourself.
Here’s why:
My name is Scott Malin and fifteen years ago, I had to give up what I love… playing basketball. It literally crushed me to give it up!!
But, I had sprained my ankles so many times that I could no longer play.
Every time it happened, I used R.I.C.E. (rest, ice elevation, compression), but my ankles took months to heal and just kept getting weaker and more painful.
I tried everything, including ankle braces, but they made my ankles even weaker and then my knees started hurting too!
When I sprained my ankle one last time and had to crawl off the court, I knew I was done.
That night, I sat in my apartment and cried.
I was in my early thirties and thought I had to give up what I loved for the rest of my life.
But, I had no other option…
My ankles were just way too weak, stiff and unstable and painkillers/ice did nothing anymore.
As I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, I remembered back to when I trained with a clinician for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Soft Tissue Therapist for the Los Angeles Clippers.
I also thought about a revolutionary Naturopath that taught me so much about healing the body naturally.
Then, I came up with a crazy idea…
It instantly improved how my ankle felt.
And the more I did it, the better my ankle got.
By day 6, my ankle was 100% pain-free and felt stronger and more stable than BEFORE I got injured.
The best part… I PLAYED BASKETBALL AGAIN, BUT THERE WAS NO PAIN!!
Afterward, I cried again, but they were tears of joy!!
When I told them what I did, my basketball buddies laughed and said I was crazy.
They called me a “dreamer”.
But, I didn’t care.
Because I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I threw my ankle braces away.
After months of late nights, early mornings, and lots of trial and error…
I created a complete, at-home healing system with incredibly reliable results:
- Heals new ankle injuries including ANY type and grade of ankle sprain.
- Heals old ankle injuries that never fully healed.
- Heals weak and unstable ankles.
- Even heals most Achilles, calf and foot injuries!
Since I was a fitness trainer, I was able to help all my clients (celebrities and athletes) whenever they got injured (which happened a lot!).
I was even on the news a few times!!!
The response from my clients was so overwhelming that a few of them eventually convinced me to make it available to everyone.
And even though it is incredibly complete, I always wanted to keep it SUPER simple and easy to do.
So, just follow along with me on any device and that’s it!
You get instant access to all the videos, which are short and focused on quickly giving you the information you need.
I will show you the absolute BEST rehab techniques, exercises, stretches, activations, holistic techniques, prehab techniques, etc….
These are techniques you will NOT find online anywhere else.
You will learn the perfect form for everything to get the best possible results.
It has taken many years of incredibly hard and dedicated work, but I am so humbled that over 100,000 people have healed themselves fully and fast with my program.
If you don’t believe me, please, check out all the reviews, including video testimonials, before and after pictures, etc. from people of all ages.
And listen, I know you’re probably still skeptical. That’s totally fair…
That’s why we have a very simple, no hassle, 30 day money back guarantee, so it’s completely risk-free to give it a try right now.
I created this program, because I don’t want others to go through all the pain and misery that I did!!
I don’t want anyone else to give up what they love…
Life is too short!!!
And now, there’s an easy way you can heal yourself and get back to your life.
I wish you all the best and thank you!!
Heal Right Now
REAL PEOPLE,
REAL RESULTS
Just got your videos for the holistic rehab the other day. It has already helped and I am so grateful as I know Drs want to cut you open and ask questions later. My left ankle is very badly sprained, completely black and purple and swollen half way up my calf. I am an athlete and have zero intentions of being cut on now or in the future! It was a major eversion off a curb and I just want it to get back to normal. Thanks so much for putting this HEM ankle rehab together, it's a godsend! Have a beautiful day.
Warm regards,
Faith Washington BSPharm, RPh, CSCS, CPT
Hey there,
I literally purchased this program about 20 minutes ago, and now having gotten partially through the videos... The content is already blowing my mind and I feel like this will be information I'll carry with me the rest of my life... Thank you for this info! Clearly you are a master of PT.
Hello Mr. Malin,
I want to thank you for this website. In the end of november, I sprained my ankle and my doctor said that there is an avulsion fracture in my ankle(ATFL). I had really hard times after this incident. When I was looking for how to heal fast, I saw your website. I tried to do as much as different exercises that you showed. Now I face some difficulties during my daily life due to my foot but swelling is decreasing everyday thanks to exercises. Especially, the video about how to activate ankle is very beneficial for me.
Thanks for your support both mentally and physically.
Sincerely,
Orhun Oktar, Electrical and Electronics Engineer
Your program is great. I actually broke one ankle and sprained the other. I just got the cast off and will begin rehab on that ankle now.
I bought your Hem Ankle program in 2018 and used it very successfully with THREE ankle injuries. I am also interested to buy the programme for knees etc.
