Common Basketball Injuries And Treatment

Basketball is one of the most popular sports around the world. Different races, age groups and gender have played basketball. Even though it is a non-contact sport, injuries incurred while playing basketball is common. Jumping, proper landing, players colliding, fouls and falling can cause damage. A lot of players would wear knee and elbow pads as protection from injury.

In the data compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), about 529,837 basketball related injuries happened in 2006. These injuries range from cuts, sprain, broken legs, eye and forehead injuries.

To prevent or lessen risks of having an accident, it is important to perform warm-up and stretching exercises before playing. It may also be necessary to protect yourself from the risk by using knee, elbow and ankle support. But this is still not a guarantee that you will be safe from injuries. Here are some of the common basketball-related injuries and their treatment.

Ankle sprain. This is one of the most common basketball injury. This commonly happens when the player did not land properly or landed on the foot of another player, or quickly rolling the ankle to change of position. Upon landing, the ligaments would be stretched or even break.

Sprain treatment would include complete foot rest, cold compress to remove the swelling, making sure that the foot is elevated, and taking medications to keep the swelling down. To prevent from getting sprained again, it is best to practice ankle strengthening exercises.

Knee injury. This could be one of the worst injuries since it could be torn meniscus or in worst cases torn ligament which could be a result of twisting and jumping. The same initial treatment for sprain could be used for knee injury, however, torn meniscus or ligament would require surgery. Having a torn ligament would certainly have a big impact since it would mean that the person maybe unable to return to playing basketball.

Tendonitis. Tendonitis is a result of continuous bending, jumping, shooting and running. The tendons could get inflamed and become very painful. It could affect the knees, ankles and shoulders. To treat the injury, anti-inflammatory medicine is recommended. The player could also undergo therapy to strengthen the muscles on the area which experience repetitive pain.

Jumper’s Knee. This is another common problem even if the player lands on the floor easily and lightly. The knees can swell, which is why players tend to wrap their knees with ACE bandages, as much as possible, to serve as braces or support.

Eye injuries. The area around the eyes could also have cuts, scrapes and bruises. Players could wear eye protection or goggles to avoid dangerous eye injuries. Basketball can also be considered as one of the sports that causes eye injury among kids.

These are just some of the injuries that a player could have during or even after the game. There are ways on how basketball injuries could be avoided, aside from wearing protective and safety pads.

Before the season starts, go to a doctor for physical examination and check if he or she has personal recommendations on the conditions of your bones and ligaments.


Prepare yourself physically. If you have not played for a while, then gradually start practicing and conditioning your body. Slowly incorporate agility training, strength and flexibility exercises.


Listen to your body. If you feel you are pushing your body too hard, then consider resting for a while. Your body needs to recuperate and overusing it is just making your body more at risk. Experts would often recommend basketball players to take one season off to avoid overusing their bodies.