Team Medical Coverage in College Basketball

Abstract

Care of a college basketball team requires a broad set of skills by the team physician. The mix of intense aerobic exercise coupled with the explosive, multidirectional, contact-collision nature of the sport place basketball players at risk for a variety of sports-related conditions. Common injuries include lateral ankle sprains, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, finger injuries, facial trauma, and concussions. In addition, the cardiovascular demands of the sport may precipitate acute cardiac events in predisposed individuals, with greatest concern for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as well as vascular complications of Marfan’s syndrome. College basketball players are subject to the usual illnesses of the general population but may have unique needs relating to their management as well as the rigors of travel, time zone change, and mental health concerns. Optimal care of the collegiate basketball team is by a sports medicine provider or group of providers who can meet each of these sport-related needs.