4 Common Basketball Injuries And How To Treat Them

Basketball is an excellent sport for kids and adults to develop physical strength and improve mental focus. It utilizes almost every muscle of your body and mind to build your movement strategies on the spot. But with your mind so invested in the game, some unfortunate injuries are only natural. Basketball players extensively use their legs for making complex turns and twists. Which is why most of their injuries are leg-related. Apart from this, they also prone to falling and impact injuries that usually occur in ball games. Some of the most common types of these injuries may include the following:

 

Patellar Tendonitis:

It is a common knee condition that is caused due to a strain or a tear to the patellar tendon, which runs through the kneecap and connects to the shin bone. This tendon is mainly responsible for stabilizing the knee while kicking, running, or jumping, hence, its injury is often referred to as the ‘jumper’s knee.’ In most cases, it is caused by regular wear and tear of the tendon, which is common in professional basketball players.

In its initial stages, its symptoms can be relieved with prescribed exercises, anti-inflammatory medications, and some movement modifications. With proper precautions and rest, one can recover from this condition in considerable time.

Jammed Fingers:

Since the ball is thrown and caught with quite an intensity, suffering a direct impact from a speeding ball on your fingertips can compress the finger bones extensively. Such an impact can cause the finger’s ligaments to sprain and become immobile, a condition known as ‘jammed fingers.’ Some of the common signs of this condition include swelling, pain, and inability to bend, straighten, or form a grip with the damaged finger.

Its treatment is simple and mostly involves splinting and strapping the injured finger to its adjacent finger. Even though the upside is that most jammed finger conditions don’t require surgery, the downside is that the swelling doesn’t subside for months if not rested sufficiently.

Osteochondral Lesions:

With their sharp moves and quick breaks, basketball players use their ankles more than any other athlete. Hence, it is obvious to suffer ankle sprains and injuries during the game. However, the continuous wear-and-tear of the ankle joint degrades the talus bone cartilage, making it more prone to injuries. Such injuries to the talus bone are collectively known as Osteochondral lesions, which is usually a fracture or a cyst that causes prolonged pain, swelling, and instability of the ankle joint.

The best way to treat Osteochondral lesions is through surgery, followed by immobility for a significant period of time.

Stress Fractures:

Stress fractures comprise of bone fractures that are not caused due to an impact but due to excess compression force exerted on the bone while moving. Basketball players exert such force on their lower leg bone, i.e., tibia bone and foot, while jumping or maneuvering, which can cause fractures more frequently.

Minor stress fractures can be healed with splints and avoiding weight-bearing activities for some time. However, if the fracture is significant, your doctor may recommend surgical alignment before splinting.

 

For athletes involved in high-impact sports like basketball, suffering from injuries is a part of their life. But what matters the most is getting suitable treatment to recover from every injury. Hence, if you’re an athlete looking for experienced sports injury doctors in Mumbai, come down to visit Dr. Pranjal Kodkani. Being one of the top sports injury specialists in Mumbai who provides both preventive and surgical treatments for sports injuries, Dr. Kodkani can surely help you recover from any injury and get you back int he game! Visit Dr. Parnjal Kodkani’s website to learn more about his treatments and reach out to him personally.