Addressing Basketball Injuries with Physical Therapy

Basketball is a high-intensity sport, requiring running multi-directionally, shuffling the body laterally, jumping, and quick starts and stops. The intense physical demands of basketball heighten the risk of injury, which commonly results from overtraining, poor conditioning, improper sports technique, and contact with other players or the hard surface of the court. Physical therapists work with basketball players to not only prepare them for a successful basketball season through a customized strength and conditioning program, but also address any in-season injuries and help athletes regain strength, mobility, balance, and function for a safe return to sport.

The Physical Demands of Basketball

Basketball is an explosive high-intensity sport, requiring running multi-directionally, shuffling the body laterally, jumping, and quick starts and stops. Basketball players compete at a constantly changing pace in close contact between players on a hardcourt surface. 

Basketball players jump and land on the court up to seventy times during a game and the impact of landing can be four to six times their body weight. Players change direction every two to three seconds, which adds additional pressure to joints as they jump, cut, sprint, and twist. The soft tissues in joints work as springs that transfer energy between joints, absorbing the shock of landing, forward propulsion, changing directions, and slowing down when running or jumping. Basketball demands physical endurance, powerful vertical jumps, agility, coordination, and range of motion as players engage in this fast-paced, constantly changing game.

Common Basketball Injuries

The intense physical demands of basketball heighten the risk of acute, overuse, soft tissue, and joint injuries. Research shows that nearly 49.9% of basketball players will sustain some form of injury every basketball season. The lower body bears the brunt of injuries, accounting for 62.4% of injuries, with foot and ankle injuries making up 22% of those injuries.

Common causes of basketball injuries can include:

• Overtraining: Training too hard or increasing your training too quickly in intensity or duration without sufficient rest can lead to overuse injuries like stress fractures, tendinitis in the Achilles tendon or knee, or muscle strains.

• Poor conditioning: Players that are not in good condition before basketball season are at a greater risk of injury. Poor conditioning means these athletes do not have the necessary strength, endurance, agility, and fitness to perform at the highest level and may fatigue faster, leading to injury.

• Improper technique: Incorrect form when jumping, landing, or pivoting can increase risk of injury.

• Contact with other players: Basketball is a sport involving quite a bit of contact between players, which can contribute to falls on the court and injuries like ankle sprains or knee injuries. 

The 6 most common basketball injuries include:

1. Ankle sprains are the most common basketball injury and involve over-stretching or tearing of the ankle ligaments due to landing unevenly after a jump or twisting the ankle during rapid movements.

2. Achilles tendon injury such as tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon due to overuse) can lead to an Achilles tendon tear over time. It can occur due to the constant and quick starts and stops and repetitive jumping that place repetitive stress on the tendon. Increasing training intensity too quickly can also cause this injury.

3. Knee Injuries like an ACL, PCL, or MCL tear or meniscus tear can occur due to repetitive running and jumping or due to trauma to the knee such as falling or twisting the knee when pivoting and quickly changing directions that can tear these knee ligaments. An ACL, PCL, or MCL tear often requires surgery and rehabilitation with a physical therapist to regain strength and function in the knee.

4. Patellar tendinitis or Jumper’s Knee involves inflammation of the patellar tendon, which connects the kneecap to the shinbone. Patellar tendinitis is caused by repetitive overuse from the constant running and jumping of basketball without proper rest and recovery time.

5. Stress fractures are small cracks in bones due to chronic overuse or repeated stress. Stress fractures can occur due to increasing the amount or intensity of activity too quickly, switching to a difference playing surface, or wearing old shoes. They are more common in the shin bone due to the repetitive stress placed on the shins when running or landing from a jump.

6. Hamstring strains involve straining or partially tearing one of the three hamstring muscles that run along the back of the thigh and can occur when sprinting or jumping.

Physical Therapy for Basketball Injuries

Physical therapists work with basketball players to not only prepare them for a successful basketball season through a customized strength and conditioning program, but also address any in-season injuries and help athletes regain strength, mobility, balance, and function for a safe return to sport.

A pre-season strength and conditioning program involves targeted strength training to address any muscular imbalances or weaknesses, flexibility and range of motion exercises, aerobic conditioning, agility training, and proper jumping and landing techniques to reduce injury risk and ensure optimal fitness. Common exercises to improve agility, speed, coordination and explosiveness can include jump squats, plyometric push-ups, lateral bounds, single-left deadlifts, agility ladder drills, and medicine ball slams.

Should an injury occur during the season, physical therapists can improve range of motion for full joint function, reduce the risk of future injury by ensuring that the injury heals completely and the athlete can safely return to competition, manage and relieve pain, maximize mobility, and improve neuromuscular control and the athlete’s ability to rapidly change direction and engage in multidirectional movements.

Physical therapy after a basketball injury, such as an ankle sprain, hamstring strain, or Achilles or patellar tendinitis can include:

• Stretching and range of motion exercises to address tight muscles and restore full movement and mobility in injured joints and soft tissues.

• Targeted strengthening exercises using free weight, resistance bands, and weight machines to strengthen muscles in the injured area and take stress off the injured joint as well as address muscular imbalances that may have contributed to injury, e.g. strengthening the lower leg, ankle, and foot muscles after an ankle sprain or strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip muscles after a knee injury.

• Core strengthening exercises to provide a strong foundation for the player’s movement and for an efficient transfer of power from the lower to the upper extremity. Core strength also helps to stabilize the hips and trunk when engaging in multidirectional movements.

• Sport-specific functional training, including agility and coordination training and proper jumping and landing technique to minimize future injury and prepare for return to sport.

• Return to sport testing using the Primus RS BTE to objectively measure strength and function of the injured joint. The therapist also guides the athlete through a progressive return to sport program to assess whether the athlete is ready to return to sport and can withstand the physical demands of the sport after the injury.

• Pre-and post-surgery rehabilitation before and after ACL or meniscus tear surgeries to help prepare the athlete for a successful surgery and to help the athlete safely regain strength and function in the injured joint after surgery

Are you preparing for basketball season or experiencing an early season injury? Work with a physical therapist to regain strength, function, and mobility and prepare for a successful basketball season ahead!