Sports Medicine
Basketball

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Why Do Our Sports Medicine Experts Focus on Basketball?

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, we specialize in providing top-ranked, quality healthcare to young and adolescent individuals. Our goal is to ensure that our patients are healthy and active on the court. That is why our Sports Medicine team features experts who specialize in the treatment of basketball specific injuries.

What is the impact on the body?

Basketball is a fun, vigorous-intensity, aerobic activity that promotes health, sportsmanship, self-esteem, and teamwork. Our team of sports medicine specialists understand the demand of basketball on the growing body. Basketball requires lots of stop-and-go movements, side-to-side movements, and jumping. Injury prevention for basketball players includes:

  • Hip and gluteal strength and flexibility
  • Upper back and shoulder strength and flexibility, and
  • Training in quick and sudden movements and coordination in all directions 

Common Basketball Injuries

ACL

The knee is stabilized by 4 main ligaments. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of these main ligaments and can be injured during cutting, pivoting or landing from a rebound during basketball. Learn more about ACL tears.

Ankle sprain – lateral ankle sprains occur when the ankle is “rolled” during basketball. This most often occurs landing on another player’s foot after a rebound.

Concussion is an injury to the brain that occurs when a hard tackle to the body or hit to the head causes headaches, dizziness, nausea, or just not feeling right. In basketball, concussions can occur from contact with another player, the ground, and sometimes the ball.

Visit the Brain Health and Wellness Center to learn more about concussion recovery.

Eye injuries are common in basketball. Any eye injury resulting in pain, swelling, redness or visual problems should be evaluated immediately by a physician.

During basketball fingers can be injured by contact with a person or a ball. Any swelling or decreased movement of a finger should be evaluated by an athletic trainer or a physician to get the proper care.

Jumper’s knee – occurs when the soft tissue that connects the knee cap to the shin bone gets inflamed due to overuse. This pain and inflammation is caused by repetitive motions such as running and jumping during basketball.

Osgood Schlatter Disease (OSD) occurs during rapid periods of growth when the growth plate in the front of the knee near the top of the shin gets irritated from repeated running, jumping, and landing. Sometimes athletes will have a painful bump.

Basketball involves a lot of upper body strength. Pain in the shoulders can start after a collision with a player or the ground or from using the shoulder too much without enough time to rest. Special exercises that work on core strength and upper back and shoulder flexibility can help alleviate / prevent shoulder pain.

Sinding Larsen Johansson (SLJ) occurs during rapid periods of growth when the growth plate at the bottom of the kneecap becomes irritated from repeated running, jumping, and landing.

Tips for Parents and Coaches

Basketball player shoots a layup.

Avoid basketball injuries that keep your player off the court by encouraging fair play and using proper fitting equipment.

Follow age specific guidelines for game length, court size, point scoring and playing time.  

If your athlete is injured call 513-803-4878 or consult your athletic trainer. 

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