Management of Patellofemoral Disorders in Basketball

Abstract

Basketball injuries are most prevalent in the lower extremity, especially ankle and knee. Most basketball injuries are orthopedic in nature, including both acute and overuse injuries. The most prevalent overuse injury of the knee is patellar tendinopathy, which comprises up to 30% of knee injuries seen in sports medicine clinics [1–5]. These injuries are typically associated with the movements of basketball—cutting, pivoting, sudden acceleration/deceleration, and jumping, which explains the colloquially used term “jumper’s knee” describing patellar tendinosis. These repetitive basketball movements can cause excessive loading of the extensor mechanism of the knee, primarily at the patellofemoral joint [3, 5–7], and is a frequent cause of anterior knee pain. Chronic anterior knee pain can be troublesome and resistant to treatment; indeed, up to 53% of athletes attribute anterior knee pain as a factor in the decision to quit their sport [1, 8, 9]. In this chapter, the management of patellofemoral (PF) disorders in basketball will be discussed.