It seems like we are living in the golden age of basketball. We all Love this game! The NBA All Star euphoria is enchanting everyone, especially during this time of the year, when the playoffs in both Western and Eastern Conference are about to happen.
If you have ever played basketball, even for only one minute, you know that we are talking about a fast-moving, exiting sport that is actually fun to play. However, there is one not so fun aspect of the game, and that is the high risk of knee injuries. Statistics have shown that basketball is the fourth leading cause of injury in the field of sports. It’s in the nature of the sport. All the running, jumping, outstretching, sudden stops, cutting side to side puts an immense pressure on your knees,
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These movements are affecting the ligaments that join the bones together, making them weaker, overstretched and even prone to tears. Most common knee sprain involves an ACL tear, causing pain and instability of the knee.
A proper knee sprain treatment usually involves immobilization of the knee for a short time, allowing the knee joint to keep still and the ligaments to heal. If the knee sprain is more severe and involves an ACL tear, then anti-inflammatory medications are required. For some players, ACL surgery might be the only treatment available.
On the other hand, knee strains are an injury to the tendons – the tissues that attach the muscles to the bones. The knee strains a result of knee overuse, and usually are followed with bruising around the injured area.
Most common type of knee strain is the patellar tendonitis, widely known as Jumper’s knee. This is an inflammatory condition that causes pain in the front of the knee. Jumper’s knee is a very common condition among basketball players, because of the jump activity that puts a lot of pressure on the
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Corticosteroid or platelet-rich-plasma injections may also be used to treat the tendon inflammation.
Meniscal tears
Most common causes for meniscus tears are injuries or trauma to the knee. In basketball meniscus tears occur when players twist their knees suddenly and awkwardly. Because there is no blood supply in the meniscus, these injuries can be difficult to heal, and if not treated properly, they may worsen over time.
If the meniscus tears are minor, they can be successfully treated with the RICE method: rest, ice, compression and elevation. For more severe tears arthroscopic knee surgery may be needed. The knee arthroscopy allows fast recovery and players can be back to the basketball court in no
Injuries to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) are one of the most frequent and devastating knee injuries that occur during sporting activities, accounting for one fifth of all sport related knee injuries ¹ ². Injury estimates have been reported in current literature to be between 1.5% - 1.7% per year within a healthy athletic population ³ ⁴. However, incidence rates for ACL injury prove difficult to access as not all individuals with ACL injuries seek medical attention ⁵. Current trends show a direct correlation between the rising incidence of ACL injury and increased sporting participation ⁶. In spite of increasing incidence rates, ACL injuries remain fairly uncommonly in relation to the amount of individuals participating in sporting activities ⁷ ⁸. Nevertheless, they still prove to be a frequent source of disability for those individuals affected ⁷ ⁸. Individuals affected with ACL injury may suffer from a number of adverse effects including dynamic knee instability, altered movement patterns, reduced functional performance and debilitating pain ⁷⁻¹⁰.
When stability weakens there is greater risk for injury because the muscles stop contracting and supporting the joints and ligaments as they should. This can lead to severe joint pain as well as torn ligaments. By using kinesiology tape, injuries like these can be prevented by providing extra support and limiting the strain put on joints and ligaments once the muscle becomes (2014). Effects of Kinesiology Taping on Repositioning Error of the Knee Joint after Quadriceps Muscle Fatigue. Physical Therapy Science 26(6); 921-923.
Ankle sprains have three degrees of injury ranging from 1-3. The level of the ankle sprain is determined by the amount that the ligament is torn or stretched. A grade one sprain is categorized as a slight stretching and damage to the fibers of the ligament. A grade 2 sprain is characterized as partial tearing of the ligament and abnormal laxity of the ankle. A grade 3 sprain is characterized by complete tear of the ligament if it can be pushed or pulled in certain movements there is gross instability. The movements of the ankle are abduction, adduction, plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, and inversion, eversion. The ligaments of the ankle hold the ankle bones and joint into position. These ligaments protect the ankle joint from abnormal movements such as twisting, turning, and rolling of the foot.
Tearing the ACL is now considered an epidemic in the United States over 100,000 recorded incidences are reported each year (Moeller). While such a finding may be good for orthopedic doctors and surgeons, this is not good for millions of athletes’ competing these days in high intensity sports. This is especially a problem for female athletes who are two to four times more likely to tear their ACL than men (Moeller). This is one of the biggest mysteries about ACL tears is the difference between the number of injuries seen in women and men. Women tend to tear there ACL far more frequently then men. While not everyone agrees that gender itself is the source of the problem, evidence is growing that females are learning too late that participating in sports can also become the first step to ruining an active lifestyle.
Knee injuries are the second most common injuries in basketball players, as 14.7% of injuries affect the ACL. Statistics show that females have approximately 2.08 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures, while males only have 1.83 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures. More specifically, 7.4% of the time, males internal damage to their knee, such as ACL tears, and females have a staggering 15.9%.
Meniscal tears are a common sports injury, and can vary widely in severity and pain. Meniscal tears are very common among athletes playing contact sports, such as Football, Rugby, and Soccer or any sport that involves twisting of the knee. Meniscal tears are more common among men than woman. Meniscal injuries can occur at any age, but factors differ with age. In older people tears are degenerative and usually occur doing daily activities. In younger people the majority of meniscal tears occur primarily by cutting or twisting movements, hyperflexion, or
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
It can mean losing the chance to get that scholarship for young athletes, and it can also mean the end of those million dollar paychecks for those who have gone professional. A torn ACL can result in numerous surgeries, months of vigorous exercise and rehabilitation, and a sufficient amount of pain. It requires complete patience, as pushing too hard can result in further, more painful injuries. Even after all that, an athlete is not guaranteed he or she will ever be able to play sports again. The anterior cruciate ligament is the reason that the knee only has one pattern of movement.
There are many injuries in general, but sports injuries? Sprains and Strains are the most common injuries in sports. “Sprains are injuries to ligaments, the tough bands connecting in a joint. Suddenly stretching ligaments past their limits deforms or tears them” (Hoffman 1). Ligaments are like springs in a sense that when you stretch a spring, it will return to it’s normal state unless they are
Amanda was in her sophomore year of soccer season when she heard the pop of her knee that cut her season short. The next thing she knew she was at the doctor’s who told her she had an ACL tear, and wasn’t sure if she could play again. From there it was boiled down to two options. One to re-strengthen her knee through rehabilitation, physical therapy and bracing, or to undergo an ACL reconstruction surgery. Although it is costly and some may consider it frivolous, those who have encountered ACL tears should receive the reconstruction surgery instead of attending rehabilitation for the damage to their knee, because it dramatically lessens the chances of meniscal injuries and osteoarthritis occurring later and allows the patient to return back to their sport or physical activity with better knee mobility and less pain in a timely manner.
When you are exhausted, you shouldn't be playing. Never play in pain and if the pain continues to return when you begin to play again after resting. Some shoes are too good for playing. If there is too much traction, your foot won't give way on fast stops, and the resulting torque on your knee can rip the ligament. Lastly, stick to a sport you love. If you think you are insecure about the sport you are in, and feel that it is too risky, then go into something that makes you feel comfortable.
The meniscus is one of the most commonly injured structures in the knee. Meniscal injuries can occur in any age group, but causes are somewhat different for each age group. In younger people, the meniscus is fairly tough and rubbery, and tears usually occur as a result of a fairly forceful twisting injury. In the younger age group, meniscal tears are more likely to be caused by athletic activity (Sutton, 1999).
A 16-year-old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquiring the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers of female ACL ruptures have increased for the past ten years. Over 1.4 million women have suffered from the ACL rupture, which is twice the rate of the previous decade.
Once I could bend my knee again, I started playing sports again. I took a break from basketball, but I kept up with softball and volleyball. My knee didn’t feel quite the same, but I thought that would pass. During my volleyball camp at Olivet Nazarene University, I was jumping up to block and when I landed my knee buckled and I knocked over my friend Christie. I could not believe this happened again! After I couldn’t get up, once again, the coach insisted that I go and see Ozzy, the trainer. He checked out my knee and thought I had torn my meniscus(the cartilage in the knee joint) and possibly had a small tear in my MCL(the inside tendon of the knee). He insisted that I go to O.A.K. Orthopedics (a health care office that includes 8 orthopedic surgeons) to see Dr. Ellis.
Anterior knee pain plagues the athletic community, the most common being runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). One point or another in an athlete’s career they have experienced this kind of pain. When comparing between male and female athletes and who has the higher chance of knee pain, female athletes have a higher prevalence than male athletes (Dolak KL). There are several different mechanisms of patellofemoral pain a few being: pes planus,an increased Q angle, weak, tight or an imbalance in the quadriceps or hip muscles. Recently in my clinic site as the spring sports such as, baseball, soccer and track and field the athlete’s perform a lot of squatting, running, and kneeling which load the patellofemoral joint. We are now starting to see several and treat several athletes with patellofemoral knee pain. Each of them experiencing the pain from a different mechanism. As an athletic trainer we want to treat not only the symptoms, but the mechanism of injury to prevent further injuries down the road. If patellofemoral pain syndrome is not properly treated it can develop into chronic diseases such as chondromalacia or arthritis, maybe eventually leading to a total knee plan. (Lee SE) Treatment while the athletes are young and symptoms aren’t severe is key to preventing further injury.