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BASKETBALL INJURIES

What is the most common injury for basketball? Because basketball requires pivoting, abrupt stops, and jumps, the ankle is very susceptible to injuries, especially sprains. Ankle sprains occur when the ligaments are stretched beyond their limits, this can happen when a player lands wrong, twists excessively, or rolls their foot.

Basketball, it’s all about speed, agility and high-impact movements. Basketball is a dynamic multidirectional sport requiring athletes to rapidly move in different directions.   Athletes move horizontally and vertically requiring them to control jumping and more importantly, landing from a jump. Out of control landing can lead to serious injuries.

Ankle sprains

Wrist injuries

From dribbling to shooting, the hands and wrists are involved in nearly every aspect of the game. This, unfortunately, makes wrist injuries one of the more common basketball injuries that we see in the emergency room. Fractures, dislocations, and sprains can occur from collisions, falls, or simply from the impact of the ball. 

Knee injuries

Due to the high-intensity, stop-and-go maneuvers of basketball, the knee joints are always under a significant amount of stress. The knees can suffer from a range of injuries in basketball, from tendonitis (also called jumper’s knee) to more severe injuries like ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament) tears. 

Jammed fingers

Although jammed fingers may not seem that serious, finger injuries can be just as painful and persistent as those to ankles and wrists. If the ball makes contact with your fingers in a weird way, like when failing to catch a pass correctly, the impact can cause the finger to jam and cause the joint to swell. This jamming affects the ligaments. Sometimes the pain occurs quickly, but other times it can occur over the course of the game.

Wrist and Hand Injuries

The basketball is handled exclusively with the hands, which results in injuries that occur in the hands and in the wrist. Sprained wrists can happen in the struggle to gain control of the ball and passing can sometimes result in jammed fingers. On a rare occasion, a player may break a wrist or finger, which can lead to a prolonged recovery period.

While many wouldn’t consider basketball a dangerous sport, basketball players are prone to injuries as a result of the moves necessary to play the game at a high level. To learn more about the most common injuries that occur in basketball, contact Core Clinik

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