OR 14 YEARS the Sports READING UNIT 2 CLASS-IX Feel Good In Your Runners Medicine Centre of Lyon (France) has been studying the injuries of young sportsplayers and sports professionals. The study has established that the best course is prevention ... and good shoes.Knocks, falls, wear and tear ...Eighteen percent of sports players aged 8 to 12 already have heel injuries. The cartilage of a footballer’s ankle does not respond well toshocks, and 25 percent of professionals have discovered for themselves that it is an especially weak point. The cartilage of the delicate knee joint can also be irreparably damaged, and if care is not taken right from childhood (10–12 years of age), this can cause premature osteoarthritis. The hip does not escape damage either and, particularly when tired, players run the risk of fracturesas a result of falls or collisions.According to the study, footballers who have been playing formore than 10 years have bony outgrowths either on the tibia or on the heel. This is what is known as “footballer’s foot,” a deformity caused by shoes with soles and ankle parts that are too flexible.Protect, support, stabilize, absorbIf a shoe is too rigid, it restricts movement. If it is too flexible, it increases the risk of injuries and sprains. A good sports shoe should meet four criteria. Firstly, it must provide exterior protection: resisting knocks from the baIl or another player, coping with unevenness in the ground, and keeping the foot warm and dry even when it is freezing cold andraining.It must support the foot, and in particular the ankle joint, to avoid sprains, swelling, and other problems, which may even affect the knee.It must also provide players with good stability so that they do not slip on a wet ground or skid on a surface that is too dry.Finally, it must absorb shocks, especially those suffered by volleyball and basketball players who are constantly jumping.Dry feetTo avoid minor but painful conditions such as blisters or even splits or athlete’s foot (fungal infections), the shoe must allow evaporation of perspiration and must prevent outside dampness from getting in. The ideal material for this is leather, which can be water-proofed to prevent the shoe from getting soaked the first time it rains. this is a article.........​