Characteristics of injuries of young adult male basketball players

Introduction: Basketball is characterized by high intensity play and a lot of physical contact. Players are required to be well-trained physically in order to be able to face the dynamics, speed and variability of the game and the training loads to which they are exposed. Basketball is a sport that predisposes the athletes to musculoskeletal injuries. The aim of this study was to characterize the injuries experienced by young adult male basketball players. Material and methods: Young adult male Polish basketball players from various clubs (17±1.4 years; n = 28; 47%) and amateur basketball players (17±1.4 years; n =30; 53%) took part in this study. To assess the injuries of young basketball players, a survey consisting of 28 questions was used. Results: The most common injuries were lower limb injuries (54%), of which ankle injuries prevailed (ankle injuries were the most common injuries of all). Upper limb injuries accounted for 36% of all injuries. Of these, subluxations in finger joints occurred most often. Most often, injuries occurred during physical contact with another player (40%). Despite an injury, the players either did not alter the length of their warm-up or they devoted more time to it. In terms of stretching before a training session or a match, differences between players training up to three times a week and players training four or more times per week were statistically significant (χ2 = 8.926, p = 0.012, V = 0.392). Conclusions: Basketball is a sport that causes injuries. Basketball players mostly experience lower limb injuries. injuries, basketball, adolescents, injury prevention, stretching email: agny.nowak@gmail.com The research was financed from the authors’ own resources Rehabilitation Advances in Rehabilitation/Postępy Rehabilitacji (3), 35–46, 2019 A – preparing concepts B – formulating methods C – conducting research D – processing results E – interpretation and conclusions F – editing the final version Received: 2019-07-01 Accepted: 2019-07-12