Loose lacing at top

[sticktime 12]

Not sure if this is the right forum so feel free to move it.

Anyhow, 2 weeks ago got hit with a puck at the bend at the front of my ankle, you know, right where you tend to get lace bite. Hurt for a few days and couldn't skate because leaning for forward flex killed the tendon. So I imagine that's what lacebite feels like.

So fast forward to today when I'm at stick and puck and out of nowhere that area starting hurting. Don't know if it was in fact lacebite or just a re-aggravating the previous injury to the area. I skip the top eyelet and crank pretty hard on the three below, as this locks in my ankle, and go semi-tight from there down. I like to be able to spread my toes out.

As I said I started getting lacebite-like pain so I loosened up the top three tightest laces, so much so that I thought to myself that this is what it must be like to skate without laces. Ha. Huge departure from what I normally do. It felt kinda unstable and wobbly at first few strides, but then lo and behold after a minute or two I didn't really notice any difference from how I normally skate.

Didn't feel like I was going to roll my ankles over when stopping or doing any moves, it would definitely take some more getting used to if it were to be the new normal, so I'm wondering if there's any benefit to having the laces loose like that? I remember reading on here somewhere that Europeans learn to skate with super loose laces and that it builds ankle strength