Basketball is a high-intensity game with rigorous running, jumping, and direction changes that can often lead to injury. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), approximately 49.9% of basketball players sustain an injury every season1. These injuries range from minor sprains to torn ligaments or tendons.
Physical therapy is a critical resource for rehabbing an injury but also to avoid reinjury. Ask a professional basketball player and they’ll tell you that one of the essential tools for coming to the game stronger after an injury is PT! Physical therapists utilize an active process that improves players’ movement, strength, flexibility, and balance. Physical therapy will address a player’s pain while restoring functional movement patterns to prevent future injuries.
Let’s look at the top injuries treated in basketball:
- Ankle Sprains occur when ligaments are Basketball involves lots of jumping and running, which can lead to twisting the ankle beyond natural movement. Physical Therapy can help reduce inflammation, restore balance and stabilize the ankle to regain full function as quickly as possible.
- Knee Injury occurs commonly due to overuse from jumping and pivoting. Injuries to the ACL, meniscus, and patella are the most common in basketball These injuries of the knee are often healed with customized exercises guided by a physical therapist.
- Stress Fractures are common injuries seen in both male and female basketball Physical therapists help people with lower extremity stress fractures recover strength, movement, and flexibility and help them identify risk factors for future injury.
- Contusions are a result of impact trauma to the A PT will involve the use of light training, compression sleeves, and the development of stretching alongside weight training to reduce the effect of the injury as it heals.
If you want to get back in the game, physical therapy focuses on preventing, evaluating, treating, and rehabilitating injuries. Don’t let an injury stop you from playing the sport you love. At ACE physical therapy and sports medicine institute, we will create a treatment plan tailored to your needs and get you back on the court stronger than ever!
ACE Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Institute was founded on the principles of high ethical standards, integrity, honesty, and professionalism. When you step inside one of their eight convenient locations in the Washington Metro area, your goal becomes theirs: returning you to your normal lifestyle as quickly and safely as possible.
1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445097/
