Most Common Basketball Injuries
Basketball is a very popular sport throughout the world. People participate in the sport at all levels of competition. Injury is very common in this sport. Basketball injuries can be placed under two general categories: overuse injuries and acute (traumatic) injuries.
Overuse Injuries
Overuse injuries are the injuries caused by stressing an area over and over until it is damaged and begins to hurt. This can be further divided into three types of injuries.
Achilles Tendinitis
Causes
Rubbing of ill-fitting trainers or boots, Running on hard ground, Increased running/sprinting, Tight calf muscles.
Symptoms
Pain and stiffness in the morning, pain on calf stretching and tenderness to touch, especially if the tendon is squeezed and the pain tends to be localised.
Treatment
Ample rest, icing and heel raises to alter the tension on the tendon is advised. Gentle massage of the painful area can also help. As the symptoms settle, calf stretching with a mixture of bent and straight knee exercises is important. The resumption of a training programme should be gradual but the tendon must not be overloaded.
Patella Tendinitis
Causes
Increased jumping activities, squatting and running.
Symptoms
Pain is felt on a resisted straightening of the knee from a bent position. Squatting also causes pain, which can be felt when pressure is applied to the bottom of the knee cap.
Treatment
Rest is the best treatment before a gradual return to activity. Benefit will be gained by stretching the hip flexor and quadriceps muscles.
Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
Causes
Overuse or a fall onto the shoulder can irritate the tendons of one or all the muscles.
Symptoms
Catching pains, especially on movements when the arm has to be lifted above the shoulder. Any resisted movements of the shoulder, or lifting heavy objects, will also cause a pinching/catching type of pain.
Treatment
RICE treatment regime. If this does not work then it is very important to see a specialist therapist as the condition usually gets worse and leads to complications.
Traumatic Injuries
Acute or traumatic injuries are those caused by a sudden forceful injury.
Jammed Fingers: The severity of a jammed finger can range from a minor injury of the ligaments, which connect bones, to a broken finger. Splinting may be needed to allow the injured finger to heal.
Muscle Pull or Tear: In basketball players, these injuries occur primarily in the large muscles of the legs. To prevent them, thighs and calves should be stretched well and warm-up exercises before playing are a must.
Ankle Sprain: This injury often occurs when a player lands on another player’s foot or the ankle rolls too far outward. When this happens, the ligaments connecting bones and supporting the ankle are stretched and torn. The ligaments can tear partially or completely. Treatment includes a short period of immobilization and keeping the joint still so the ligaments can heal. After immobilization, special exercises to strengthen the muscles that help hold the ankle in place should be started.
Knee Injury: One type of knee injury is a sprain. A knee sprain is a small tear in the ligaments or joint capsule. To help the tear heal, Treatment includes immobilization, followed by stretching and strengthening exercises for the muscles that help hold the knee in place.
A more severe injury is a complete tear of one or more of the ligaments that support the knee. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the more commonly torn ligaments in the knee. This ligament connects the upper and lower leg bones and helps hold the knee in place. In case of damage to ACL, the knee will hurt and give way persistently. After an ACL injury, some players can participate in sports again without surgery. But they must do special exercises to strengthen their thigh muscles, and they must wear a brace on their knee. Strong thigh muscles give stability to the knee that the torn ACL cannot.
Basketball is an exciting sport for all ages and skill levels but one must watch out for basketball injuries caused by overuse and trauma.
Source: Hughston