To Nfinity and Beyond?

No, I'm not talking about going to Infinity and Beyond in the Nike Buzz Lightyear shoes.

It's "Nfinity", a company that claims "We Are Women's Sports" and recently got into the women's basketball shoe market.

A while back, I received an e-mail asking if I was familiar with their new shoe and what I thought of their claim that their shoe reduces the risk of ACL injuries.

First I went to their website to learn more.
It's slick and user-friendly and touts the Nfinity basketball shoe (currently priced at $119/pair), which has BioniQ Technology designed to address "the pronounced Q angle(the angle between hip and knee, which increases the likelihood of ACL injuries)."

In a previous blog entry (What Female Basketball Players Kneed to Know), I discussed the problem of ACL injuries in female players and gave a few links to some resources to help girls try and reduce their risk. Could a shoe help as well?

I've long agreed that we need more basketball shoes that are made specifically for girls (better fit in the heel, more streamlined for the female foot) and I applaud this company's attempts to fill that need.

Yet I wonder - How much $$ are they spending on research and how much $$ are they spending on marketing? (They also have a neat commercial on you-tube, featuring Nikki Blue.) It's something you have to ask about any basketball shoe product, whether it's from Nfinity, Nike, Adidas or Reebok.

And most importantly - will it work to reduce the risk of an ACL injury?

To investigate, I asked some of my colleagues who study ACL injuries, sports biomechanics, and orthotics for sports about the Nfinity's basketball product. Some felt the BioniQ idea was just another gimmick to jack up the price of a shoe. Others felt that more research (prospective, randomized) should be done to determine its effectiveness.

The folks at Nfinity, in response to my e-mail, told me that their shoes are currently being tested at the University of Michigan. "As soon as we have conclusive results we can make them available." She also gave me links to several testimonials. While testimonials are nice, and are often used to sell products, they won't sway my vote.

To Nfinity and Beyond?
First, I'd like to hear the results of their research.
Then I'll decide if I'd go there.

Its Gotta Be the Shoes

solesirius.com

What's the most important part of every basketball players' uniform? With all due apologies to Mars Blackmon It's Gotta Be The Shoes !

One major problem - There are so many different basketball shoes out there (aside from Carmelo Anthony's collection-above) that it can be hard to decide which one is right for you.

While I can't tell you which brand or type or size to wear, I can tell you that many different factors go into determining what's best for each individual player. Your foot size (and width), your history of ankle injuries, the arch of your foot, the $$ in your wallet, and so much more.

I can also point you towards a potential resource: The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine which, according to their website, "serves to advance the understanding, prevention and management of lower extremity sports and fitness injuries."

One of the resources they offer on their website is a listing of recommended shoes for different sports (including basketball). After examining different types of basketball shoes and grading them with a standardized assessment form , they offer their recommendations here .

Don't know how many of the good (foot) doctors actually played some ball in the shoes they evaluated, but it's a start.

New Position Statement on Youth Resistance Training

www.dailymail.co.uk

In this month's issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, a group of experts representing the National Strength and Conditioning Association updated the NSCA's recommendations for youth resistance training.
The group, let by Dr Avery Feigenbaum , concluded that:

"A properly designed and supervised resistance training program":

• is relatively safe for youth.
• can enhance the muscular strength and power of youth.
• can improve the cardiovascular risk profile of youth.
• can improve motor skill performance and may contribute to enhanced sports performance of youth.
• can increase a young athlete's resistance to sports-related injuries.
• can help improve the psychosocial well-being of youth.
• can help promote and develop exercise habits during childhood and adolescence.

Safe to say that I agree with all of their conclusions, but before you run off and buy some big weights for your U12 team, I highly encourage you to read this report's recommendations about how to train, how much to train, how often to train, and how important it is to eat and sleep properly so that the body can best benefit from a graduated resistance training program.

For best results, work with a certified strength and conditioning coach who has experience in training youth and not just some trainer who makes kids puke by overdoing it on workouts designed for NBA players.

Basketball Medicine (Ball)

Beth Biscoff

One of the reasons I write this blog is to support the idea that there should be a specialty devoted to the science and practice of optimizing health, preventing injury, and enhancing the performance of basketball players.

There's already the STMS (The Society for Tennis Medicine and Science). There should be an SBMS (Society for Basketball Medicine and Science) as well, don't you think? I do, but we're getting off the subject here...........

Usually, when I want to see what other folks are up to, I perform a google search for "basketball medicine" . What comes up? Well, this blog, for one, but otherwise, mostly ads for medicine balls that can be used in training for basketball (and an ocassional reference to the Medicine Hat College Women's Basketball Team - Go Rattlers).


It's time to recognize the use of Medicine Ball Drills for basketball training.

And, personal allegiances aside, I can think of no better person to offer a list of medicine ball drills for basketball than Jonas Sahratian, the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator of the UNC Men's Basketball team.


Here's a link to the article that appeared last year in Men's Health.

Remember, though, this workout is really for older (ages 16+ for girls and 18+ for boys) players who are more physically mature. If you're in that older age group and want to increase your core strength, and power - this would be a good addition to your current workouts. Start slow, increase your load, and measure your results (how you feel, how you move, how you improve your performance on the court).

What's the Best Mouth Guard for Basketball?

Associated Press


After my post lamenting the fact that many NBA players still "don't get it" when it comes to wearing a mouth guard, one of my readers asked a great question - which mouth guard would I recommend?

A while back, I wrote about the most common types of mouth guards out there.
A little while later (and after more than 35 years of playing basketball without one- yeah, I'm old) I decided that I'd have to buy my own mouth guard to avoid being a hypocritical "do as I say, not as I do" advice-giver.

I knew that a simple plastic mouth guard wouldn't work (I'd seen too many people gagging and drooling while wearing one) so I went and bought a Shock Doctor brand "boil and bite" type mouth guard from the local Dick's Sporting Goods store . After following the directions to make a custom fit, I used it for the next month or so. It was OK, but not completly comfortable and sometimes made it hard to call out picks/switches, etc.

Finally, I went to my local dentist and had them make an impression of my bite. They sent this out to a company and a few weeks later, I returned to their office to have my custom-molded mouth guard fit. At first, it felt pretty much like the boil and bite I was using before, but, after they trimmed it a few times, it slipped over my upper teeth, fell easily into place, and hardly felt like it was there. Total cost was around $150.

Needless to say, I've been most happy with my mouth guard, wear it when I play, and have been thankful that I was wearing it on several occasions when an errant(?) elbow hit my mouth.

Now I know that not everybody can afford a custom molded mouth guard from their dentist, and I know that younger players might outgrow several pairs of mouth guards, having to buy new ones every so often. I also know there are other options, like Sportsguard Custom Mouthguards where you make your own mold, send it off to the company, and then get your personalized mouth guard in the mail a few weeks later. It's less expensive ($55-$65), and is an option for those do-it-yourself ballers.

So what's the best option for you? Every dentist will tell you that the only one that works well is the custom-made guard from your dentist's office. While I agree with them, not everyone can afford this. Bottom-line - "The best mouth guard is the one that's worn".

So, while I'd recommend getting a custom-made mouth guard from your dentist, you've got to try the different types out yourself and decide.

Tough Break

Ric Tapia/Icon SMI

Best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Aussie guard Patty Mills, a good person and an excellent ballplayer who broke his right 5th metatarsal bone last week before the NBA Summer League even began.

While Portland Trailblazer releases stated that they wouldn't know how long he might be out until after his surgery (performed yesterday- no news yet), I'd hazard a guess that he sustained a Jones fracture (one of three ways/locations where you can break the 5th metatarsal bone), which can require placement of a screw followed by 6-8 weeks of recovery before returning to the court.

Mills, who had an unrelated metacarpal (bone in the hand) fracture earlier this year, is still young, relatively small and light (less pounding over time) and still has great potential. Here's hoping this unfortunate break only delays an eventually successful NBA career.

The Lakers Have No 'Guards

Mouth guards, that is.

A few weeks ago, a reader wrote " Hi. I've seen a few of your blog posts on the importance of wearing mouthguards. I even got one myself a few months ago. Now, in watching the NBA Finals, I made a point of counting the number of players who were wearing mouthguards. And.. I only counted two: Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis. I didn't see anybody else. What gives?

Knowing that several players wear clear mouth guards that aren't easy to spot, I decided to first find out if this reader's count was true.

After speaking with the Head Athletic Trainers for both the Lakers and the Magic (special thanks to Gary Vitti and Tom Smith for their time), I was disappointed to hear that only 4 players on the Magic (Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, Adonal Foyle & Tony Battie) wear mouth guards on a regular basis. (I was also impressed by the readers astute observation).

Worse, NONE of the LA Lakers wear mouth guards! (Not even Pau Gasol who has braces on his teeth and is just one elbow away from some severe lip shredding).

I learned that several Lakers (including Kobe) have tried wearing mouth guards but have chosen not to wear them.

So What gives?

If they're like their counterparts in other countries (where research has been done to better understand why professional basketball players choose to not wear mouth guards), it's either because they feel they can't breath, speak, or play as well when their mouthguards in place.

And what about professional football players (who all wear mouthguards), boxers, and other sports where everyone uses mouthguards? They wear them because they are required to and, more importantly, have worn them since they were young (and hence, they've gotten used to the feeling).

To be honest, I'm disappointed that so few players on these two teams wear mouth guards. I wish they had the foresight to protect themselves from some serious harm, but it's a free country and, for now at least, the NBA, NCAAA, NHSAA and AAU don't require it (but maybe they should start - Research has shown that dental injuries in basketball happen 13 times more often than dental injuries in football).

It would be interesting to do some research on NBA players and their use (and feelings about using) mouth guards during practice and games. If there are any aspiring dental researchers out there, send me an e-mail at pdrehab@med.unc.edu