Five Tips for Basketball Injury Prevention

Protect your team in the upcoming season: Five tips for preventing injuries!

With basketball season in full swing, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the risks and injuries associated with the game. With some preparation and prevention, you can continue to play to the best of your ability without the concerns over injury that come with playing basketball. The Sports Medicine team at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute offers the following tips to ensure a safe season. Their understanding of common injuries and expertise makes basketball injury prevention an achievable goal.

What Are the Risks?

Due to the nature of the fast-paced game, it is estimated that 1.6 million injuries occur each year while playing basketball or related to basketball. You may wonder, what is the most common injury in basketball? Most often, injuries involve the joints, particularly ankles and knees. Before allowing these basketball injury statistics to alarm you, though, be assured that these injuries can often be avoided by taking some preventative measures. Besides being fun and competitive, basketball is great exercise and can have many health benefits. That being said, common injuries include:

• Sprained ankles

• Jammed or broken fingers

• Ligament injuries in knees

• Concussions from a fall

Rothman Orthopaedic Institute understands that parents and coaches alike are searching for the best advice for the athletes in their lives and want to protect them as much as possible as they pursue sports. As mentioned earlier, with preparation, the prevention of many of these injuries is possible. Now, let us look at some of these tips!

Five Tips for Basketball Injury Prevention
 

According to the National Institutes of Health, sports safety should include the following:

1. Getting a physical: make sure your health is up to par before the start of the season. Being aware of any underlying conditions or any potential weakness offers the opportunity for treatment prior to an injury. Your family doctor will offer this service. He or she will perform a complete head to toe assessment of your physical condition.

2. Wear appropriate attire: good shoes and properly fitted clothing. Properly fitted, breathable clothing and good shoes can make a big difference in injury prevention.

3. Drinking lots of water: to prevent dehydration. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that even mild levels of dehydration can hurt athletic performance. They encourage non-caffeinated fluid consumption prior to exercise as well as during exercise. Ensure that you and your team have adequate access to water during the game.

4. Warming up and stretching: to prevent joint injury. Spend time warming up appropriately and stretch muscles. Warming up allows the body the time it needs to be able to respond to nerve signals for quick and efficient actions. This is imperative for basketball, as it involves quick, high-intensity actions.

5. Maintain a good level of fitness: stay in shape during the off season. Basketball injury prevention begins in the off-season! Your team will be safest and most prepared by maintaining fitness during the entire year. If needed, you can work with your Sports Medicine team to learn injury prevention exercises for athletes which will be beneficial long-term. Getting ready in advance is a key prevention factor.

What to do When Injury Does Occur

>Despite your best efforts for basketball injury prevention, accidents still happen. In that case, know that you have the support of the experts at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. When it comes to basketball injuries and treatment, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute offers compassionate and professional help to ensure you make a quick and successful recovery. Always seek the advice of a medical professional for a thorough assessment of the injury and for the best treatment options.

To learn more about preventing sports injuries or for more information about Rothman Orthopaedic Institute’s services and specialties, please visit us here or contact us at 1-800-321-9999.