Many are surprised to learn that the sport of badminton has been around since the 18th century. Thanks in large part to the inception of the International Badminton Federation's World Grand Prix Circuit in the 1980s, badminton went from a backyard, amateur game to a sport that now has five games in the Olympics and multiple professional competitive events around the world, some of which carry six figure purses.
How Do Badminton Injuries Occur?
The risk of injury in badminton play certainly isn’t akin to that of contact sports like football or basketball, but badminton players still aren’t immune to injury. Badminton is a highly competitive, intense sport that involves players hitting a shuttlecock back and forth over a net using a racquet in a fashion similar to that of tennis, but with the play ending when the shuttlecock touches the ground.
The shuttlecock is a flying projectile, and, as such, it can be the source of traumatic eye injuries. Slips and falls are also a concern. That said, most badminton injuries are overuse injuries that stem from a player’s repetitive actions, such as gripping and swinging a racquet, or a player doing too much, too fast, too often, or too vigorously during over-training. Bad technique and lack of physical fitness can also be a risk factor for injury, especially among new badminton players.
What Are Some Common Badminton Injuries?
Ankle Sprains
Any sport that involves running, sudden directional changes, and sudden stops and starts, as badminton does, presents a risk for ankle sprains.
The calcaneo-fibular ligament, anterior talo-fibular ligament, and posterior talo-fibular ligament are the soft tissue structures stabilizing the lateral side of the ankle joint. The opposite side of the ankle, or medial side, is stabilized by the deltoid ligament. The upper portion of the ankle joint is stabilized by the inferior tibio-fibular ligament, which is connected to the lower leg bones.
When the ankle is twisted, rolled, or turned past its normal range of motion, one of the above ligaments can be stretched or torn. This is called a sprain. When the ankle goes to far outwardly as the foot turns inwardly, the ligaments stabilizing the outside of the ankle can be sprained - an inversion sprain. Whereas, when the ankle is forced inwardly and the foot turns outside the ligaments stabilizing the inside of the ankle can be sprained - an eversion sprain. The inferior tibio-fibular ligament is sprained less often, but this high ankle sprain occurs when either the foot is forced upwardly or the lower leg is twisted whilst the foot is planted on the ground.
All sprains are graded by the degree of stretching or tearing that occurs:
Grade 1 - stretching or microscopic tearing. The ankle joint remains stable, but could be tender to the touch, swollen, and mildly painful during activity.
Grade 2 - moderate tearing. The ankle joint could feel unstable during footwork and be moderately painful, tender, swollen, and bruised.
Grade 3 - significant to complete tearing. The ankle can feel significantly unstable, possibly to the point of immobility. There may also be moderate to significant pain, tenderness, bruising, swelling, and warmth.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
The supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor muscles and their tendons comprise the rotator cuff. These muscles and tendons are what keep the shoulder stabilized and allow it to move smoothly. The rotator cuff is commonly injured in sports that involve overhead and throwing motions. It can also be injured if a badminton player suffers a direct blow to the shoulder, such as during a fall. There are two main rotator cuff injuries - tendinitis and strains.
Rotator cuff tendinitis is the irritation and inflammation of one or more of the rotator cuff tendons, usually as a result of overuse or repetitive use. The shoulder may be tender to touch, warm, stiff, pop or snap during movement, and be most painful following intense shoulder motions.
A strain is similar to a sprain, but it involves the muscles and tendons being abnormally stretched or torn. And like sprains, strains are also graded based on the degree of stretching and/or tearing:
Grade 1 - stretching or microscopic tearing.
Grade 2 - moderate tearing.
Grade 3 - significant to complete tearing.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow, also called lateral epicondylitis, is inflammation, pain, and tenderness along the outer, upper elbow. This pain is usually caused when the the extensor carpi radialis brevis becomes irritated and inflamed. Additionally, tennis elbow may or may not be accompanied by an elbow sprain or elbow bursitis. The repetitive swinging of the racquet in badminton and other racquet sports, especially when using the backhand stroke, is considered a major contributor to tennis elbow. Symptoms of tennis elbow may include:
* A progressive weakening of hand grip.
* Localized pain, swelling, and tenderness.
* Pain that radiates down from the elbow to the forearm and back of the hand.
