It’s March Madness!! I hope you are enjoying all of the college and high school basketball tournament games taking place this month. It is a great month to be a sports fan!
As an athletic trainer I spend a lot of time working to keep athletes injury-free and to help them rehab from injuries that do occur. Here are the top 5 most common injuries that occur with basketball participation according to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and tips on how to decrease their occurrence.
1. Foot/Ankle Injuries
These injuries are easily the most common seen injuries in basketball. They include ankle sprains, fractures, and tendonitis.
Prevention: First, make sure you have the appropriate footwear for basketball participation. Strengthening, balance training, and proper conditioning all help decrease injury risk.
2. Hip/Thigh Injuries
Hip flexor, hamstring, and quadriceps strains are among the most common injuries in basketball.
Prevention: Strengthening, balance training, using proper jumping/landing mechanics, and proper conditioning can decrease injury risk. Proper warm-up and increasing flexibility can also decrease injury risk.
3. Knee Injuries
Knee injuries including overuse injuries and ligaments sprains/tears have the third highest incidence of occurring in basketball.
Prevention: Once again strengthening, balance training, using proper jumping/landing mechanics, and proper conditioning can decrease injury risk. The use of a proper fitting knee brace may also lessen injury risk.
4. Wrist/Hand Injuries
Wrist and hand injuries account for approximately 11% of basketball injuries occur to the wrist/hand/forearm according to the study.
Prevention: Having good court awareness, hand-eye coordination training, and having proper technique when taking a charge can decrease injury risk.
5. Head/Face Injuries
Injuries to the head and face are hard to prevent. They include concussions, contusions, nose and eye injuries, and lacerations.
Prevention: The important thing to watch out for here is concussion symptoms and to make sure they are managed by a healthcare professional with concussion management expertise.
One very interesting statistic that was found in the NATA report is that roughly 60% of injuries occur in the second half of games, suggesting that fatigue plays a big part in when injuries are most likely to occur. Managing playing time throughout a game may play a role in staying injury-free.
If you are experiencing pain from a sports related injury our rehabilitation experts can help! Visit www.physicaltherapyptc.com/free-consultation/ to request a free consultation and a member of our care team will call you to answer any questions you may have.
Dustin Eslinger, MA, ATC, ITAT
Athletic Trainer
Physical Therapy Consultants, Inc.
Dustin Eslinger March 21st, 2018
Posted In: General
Tags: basketball injuries, injury prevention