Incidence of skeletal muscle injuries in elite female basketball athletes

Abstract

Basketball is a competitive sport with a high incidence of contact and
movement lesions. Purpose: to determine the incidence of skeletal muscle injuries in elite female basketball athletes. Subject and Methods: sixty-six adult athletes, aged 18 to 37 years (mean 23 years), of 5 teams were prospectively analyzed during the "Paulista" Championship of the Al
Division (September 1999 to January 2000). Data regarding the athlete and the injuries which occurred in this period were registered by a physiotherapist. Results: 78 injuries, in 47 of the athletes (71,2%) were
listed. Incidence of injury was 2,6 injuries/athlete/1000 games/practices, with a higher incidence in games. Sprain, with 33%, was the commonest diagnosis, specially in the region of the ankle, followed by contusion (24%). The knee, with 21 % of the injuries, hand/fingers with 17%, leg/thigh and ankle with 14% each, were the mostly injured regions. Contact with another athlete was the principal mechanism of injury. We did
not find any relationship between diagnosis, age, position and injured anatomical region, but younger athletes were less affected. Most injuries were mild (85%) and the region of the knee was that with the highest
morbidity. Conclusion: Since overloads in this sport were more visible in the low back and in the knee, extensive prevention and follow-up programs for elite female basketball athletes are required.