Brace Yourself: Centenary College Teams Up With Ektio

$1 million a year in emergency room visits. $4.2 billion economical loss. $3,000 – $5,000 per incident.

Those numbers represent the money spent annually on ankle sprain injuries. 25,000 ankle sprains happen every day in the United States. Basketball is the main culprit.

From Converse to Nike Pumps to Air Jordan’s, basketball shoes have always been about looks and comfort. No basketball shoe was ever developed with the purpose of protecting players from suffering painful ankle injuries. Until now.

Ektio Inc. has developed the first, clinically tested athletic shoe to be the antidote of sprained ankles, the number one orthopedic injury in the U.S.

Centenary College, a Division III athletic program, has partnered with Ektio for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams will wear the shoe throughout the season. The team got a chance to try out the shoes when Ektio came to the Hackettstown, NJ campus today to distribute the new product.

Dr. Barry Katz, CEO of Ektio, developed the shoe that has built in straps within the wall of the show which anchor the ankle. This will prevent rollover injuries.

Many Centenary College basketball players came away with good impressions of the new shoe.

Andrew Cobian, a Senior member of the Men’s Basketball team said, “It felt pretty good when I first put them on. I have played a few games with them on and they felt strong around my ankles and made me feel confident that I would not get hurt. With these shoes I was just as mobile as I was with every other pair I have worn before. I felt very comfortable moving around with these shoes on. It felt like I had a lot of ankle support.”

In order to gain the ankle support needed, players would normally have to wrap ankle braces or tape around them prior to games. The braces and tape would often need to be adjusted during halftime or even during games. The new Ektio shoes would prevent all that as well as the sprained ankle injuries.

Does this shoe sound heavy to you? Think again. The Ektio design keeps in mind players like light shoes.

“These are the lightest shoes I’ve ever worn,” said Junior women’s basketball player Hannah Ally. “They are very sturdy on the ankle at the top of the shoe which is different from every show I have ever worn. It is nice not having to worry about putting on tape and ankle braces. It feels like I am wearing both tape and an ankle brace, which is what I usually do. My whole life I have had to wear either tape or a brace on both my ankles, and with these shoes I do not need either. I have the same mobility as I did with all my other shoes but this pair feels lighter than any pair I have worn before. This is the first time I have ever worn them and I like them and I will use them.”

Ektio Wraptor

Ektio will be releasing two products in November; The Wraptor and The Post Up. The Wraptor is a high top shoe while The Post Up is three quarter.

World class independent shoe designer Omar Bailey is designing these products. Bailey had previously designed shoes for former pro athletes such as Gary Sheffield and Allan Houston.

Centenary College is at the front of what could become one of the best inventions in sports history.

Ektio shoes will be available for purchase in November on www.Ektio.com as well as www.dickssportinggoods.com. The shoes will retail for a price of $199.99.

“Protect and Defend”