Knee Injuries from Basketball
One thing that’s great about basketball is its accessibility. Outdoor and indoor courts are scattered across the country, many of them free to use. All you need is a basketball and some friends to stay healthy and active with this American tradition. But now matter where you play nor how competitive your game is, you’re susceptible to injury. Basketball knee injuries are especially common and can affect players of all ages.
The knee is the largest joint in the body. It has a lot of responsibility in the body every day, as we use it to walk, run, stand and move about. Basketball in particular really takes its toll on the knee. When you run and stop quickly, move side to side, pivot and jump, you’re applying pressure to the knee. The most common types of basketball knee injuries are sprains and strains. Here’s a breakdown of the physiology behind these injuries.
A sprain is a stretch or a tear in the ligament. Our ligaments are the fibrous bands of tissues that connect bones, cartilages or joints. The anterior cruciate ligament, or the ACL, is one crucial piece of the knee puzzle. ACL tears are a type of sprain that are common in basketball. Changing directions or stopping quickly lead to a twisting in the knee that can cause the ACL to tear. Often times when this happens you’ll hear a popping or cracking. For ACL tears you may experience swelling in the knee, or it may be very painful to stand on.
With this and other sprains, you will want to rest the knee to prevent further tearing. Use the RICE method (rest, ice, compression and elevation) to treat a sprain. When you’re ready to hit the court again, look into wearing some extra knee support, like a knee brace, to help prevent reinjury.
A strain is a tear in the tendon. Sprains can be of varying degrees of seriousness, either partial or complete tears. Tendons are another type of connective tissues, attaching muscles to bones. Strains can be treated in a similar method as sprains, using RICE and potentially additional support after the fact. Depending on the degree of the injury, physical therapy can be very useful in quickening recovery and preventing another injury.
A common strain injury is jumper’s knee. Also known as patellar tendinitis, jumper’s knee is a frequent occurrence in basketball for obvious reasons. Jumper’s knee is a tear in the patellar tendon, which connects the patella (aka knee bone) to the shin bone. Jumper’s knee occurs as a pain in the front of the knee.
The meniscus is the cartilage between the thighbone and the shinbone. You can tear the meniscus by twisting the knee beyond its limitation. This happens often in basketball, whether you’re pivoting to make a pass or turning to sprint in the opposite direction.
No matter which of these you’re experiencing, basketball knee injuries should not be ignored. Give your knee time to heal to avoid tearing your tendons or ligaments more. When you’re ready to play again, remember to warm up, condition to strengthen your muscles and stretch. These things, along with proper technique, will help prevent you from knee injuries in the future.
Read about inflamed rotator cuff from basketball here.