Injury in Professional Basketball Players and Medical Support

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate basketball related injury and describe medical support for basketball players.Materials: Data were collected retrospectively for ten consecutive seasons from a men’s professional basketball team that presently belongs to the B.League. Cumulative total number of players were 139.Methods: An injury was defined as follows: (1) developed as a result of participation in basketball practice or competition, (2) diagnosed by a team physician or trainer, and (3) resulted in restriction of participation for more than one day after the injury.Results: A total of 190 injuries developed, with an injury rate of 6.4 per 1,000 AE (12.5 and 4.8 for competition and practice, respectively). The risk of injury was significantly higher in competition than that in practice. The ankle was the most common injury site, and ligament sprain was the most common diagnosis.Conclusions: We investigated basketball related injury and described medical support for basketball players. It is important for the team physician to recognize characteristics of basketball injury and specific medical problems.