Basketball Injuries

According to data compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), basketball produces more sport-related injuries than any other sport. There are around 1.6 million basketball injuries treated each year in the United States, with over 500,00 involving children between the ages of 5 to 14.

Basketball, while not considered a high-contact sport like football, does by nature involve physical contact. It’s also a sport that places high physical demands on the body through quick stops and starts, sudden bursts of speed, jumping, sprinting, and pivoting. As such, players of the sport are at a high risk for a number of injuries. It’s important to note that all players, whether that be a child in a Physical Education class playing basketball, adult recreational players, league players, collegiate players, or professional players, share this risk of injury.

What Causes Basketball Injuries?

Basketball-related injuries generally occur one of two ways. The first method of injury is traumatic. Traumatic injuries occur following events like a mid-air collision between players, a player falling on another player or the court, a player being hit by the basketball, incorrect landings after jumping, and so forth. The second method of injury is the cumulative effects of overuse, misuse, or repetitive use, which is commonly seen from over-training or otherwise abnormally stressing the soft tissues of the body. Not playing with the appropriate gear, failing to stretch, and overall poor physical conditioning can increase the risk of a player suffering a basketball-related injury.

What Are Some Common Basketball Injuries?

Ankle Sprains

The ankle ligaments are responsible for holding the ankle joint and bones in their proper position. Ankle sprains commonly occur when the foot forcibly rolls, twists, or turns too far inwardly (eversion) or outwardly (inversion), thereby abnormally stretching or tearing the ligaments in the ankle. Sprains are graded one through three based on the degree of damage the affected ligament suffers:

* A grade one strain is a slight stretching or microscopic tearing of the ligament fibers. This grade involves mild swelling and tenderness of the ankle, but doesn’t cause any ankle instability.

* A grade two strain is more moderate tearing of the ligament fibers. There may be moderate swelling, tenderness, joint laxity, and decreased range of motion.

* A grade three strain is the most severe and involves significant to complete tearing of the ligament. Grade three strains usually involve more than 90% fiber tearing. There is usually gross instability and significant pain, swelling, tenderness, and range of motion loss.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the stabilizing ligaments for the knee joint and is one of several possible ligaments involved in a knee sprain. It forms an “X” over the knee with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). As discussed above, sprains occur when a ligament is abnormally stretched or torn and are graded according to the degree of stretching or tearing.

ACL injuries commonly occur following a sudden stop, sudden change in direction, hyperextension of the knee from an awkward landing after a jump, or forceful twisting of the knee when the foot is firmly planted.

Muscle Strains / Pulled Muscles

In basketball, calf strains, groin strains, and hamstring strains are commonplace.

The mechanism of injury for a strain is very much like a sprain, but strains involve the muscles and/or tendons. A strain occurs when the fibers of a muscle or tendon are abnormally stretched or torn. This usually occurs when a stress or muscle load is greater than the muscle can withstand, but can also occur from a blunt force trauma over the muscle or tendon.

Strains are also graded one through three based on the degree of tearing. A grade one strain involves slight stretching or microscopic tearing and doesn’t interfere with normal musculotendon function. A grade two involves moderate depth tearing with some function loss. A grade three strain is severe to complete tearing with significant to complete disruption of the muscle or tendon function.

Jammed Finger

A jammed finger is a colloquial term used to describe a number of finger injuries involving the the bones, tendons, and/or ligaments in the fingers. The “jamming” of a finger is caused by a direct blow to the tip of a finger, such as when a basketball hits it or the player falls to the floor with an outstretched hand. This action can cause any of the following - the side ligaments of the finger, the volar ligament on the bottom of the joint, or the extensor tendon on the backside of the finger to be torn; a joint dislocation; or a fracture of one of the tiny bones within the finger.

Of course, the above are just a few of the possible injuries during basketball play. Other concerns are muscle contusions; bone fractures; tendinitis, such as patellar tendinitis or Achilles tendinitis; bursitis, lower back injuries, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and so forth.