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Basketball Injuries

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States and throughout the world. Millions of people participate in the sport at all levels of competition. Injuries occurring from playing basketball can be categorized into two general categories:

Overuse Injuries

Jumper's Knee

Injuries caused by stressing an area over and over until it is damaged and begins to hurt are described as overuse injuries. One such injury is patellar tendinitis, or "jumper's knee," which is characterized by pain in the tendon just below the kneecap.

Achilles Tendonitis

It is another common overuse injury in basketball players. This injury of the tendon connecting the muscles in the back of the calf to the heel bone causes pain in the back of the leg just above the heel.

Shoulder Injury

Some basketball players overuse the tendons in their shoulders. The rotator cuff of the shoulder is composed of four muscles. The tendons that attach these muscles to the shoulder bones can become inflamed and painful, particularly when you do repetitive overhead activities, such as shooting the basketball.

Traumatic Injuries

Traumatic injuries are those caused by a sudden forceful injury.

Jammed Fingers

Some of the more common traumatic injuries in basketball are jammed fingers. The severity of a jammed finger can range from a minor injury of the ligaments, which connect bones, to a broken finger.

Muscle Pull or Tear

In basketball players, these injuries occur primarily in the large muscles of the legs. To prevent them, stretch your thighs and calves well and do warm-up exercises before playing.

Apart from traumatic and overuse injury, there are some other types of injury caused to basketball players. Some of them are:

Ankle Sprains

The most common basketball injury is the 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.

Knee Injuries

Knee injuries are some of the most serious basketball injuries. One type of knee injury is a sprain. A knee sprain is a small tear in the ligaments or joint capsule that is not severe enough to cause your knee to give way.

Finger Injuries

Injuries pertaining to the fingers can result in a variety of symptoms including pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, and change in position.

Remedy

RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and immobilization with a splint are essential, immediate treatments for almost all finger injuries. Continued immobilization, however, is not appropriate for all injuries and can be detrimental for certain injuries because it can lead to unnecessary stiffness. The only way to determine the type of treatment needed is to obtain a physical examination and x-rays.