Sports-specific concerns in the young athlete: basketball

Epidemiology of Injuries Among National Basketball Association Players: 2013-2014 Through 2018-2019

BACKGROUND

Understanding the epidemiology of injuries to athletes is essential to informing injury prevention efforts.

HYPOTHESIS

The incidence and impact of basketball-related injuries among National Basketball Association (NBA) players from 2013-2014 through 2018-2019 is relatively stable over time.

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive epidemiology study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 3.

METHODS

Injuries from 2013-2014 through 2018-2019 were analyzed using the NBA Injury and Illness Database from an electronic medical record system. Descriptive statistics were calculated for injuries by season, game-loss, and onset. Incidence rates were estimated using Poisson models and linear trend tests.

RESULTS

Between 552 and 606 players participated in ≥1 game per season during the study. Annual injury incidence ranged from 1550 to 1892, with 33.6% to 38.5% resulting in a missed NBA game. Game-loss injury rates ranged from 5.6 to 7.0 injuries per 10,000 player-minutes from 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 (P = 0.19); the rate was lower in 2013-2014 (5.0 injuries per 10,000 player-minutes), partly due to increased preseason injury rates and transition of reporting processes. The 6-year game-loss injury rate in preseason and regular season games was 6.9 (95% CI 6.0, 8.0) and 6.2 (95% CI 6.0, 6.5) injuries per 10,000 player-minutes; the rate in playoff games was lower (P < 0.01) at 2.8 (95% CI 2.2, 3.6). Most (73%) game-loss injuries had acute onset; 44.4% to 52.5% of these involved contact with another player.

CONCLUSION

From 2013-2014 through 2018-2019, over one-third of injuries resulted in missed NBA games, with highest rates of game-loss injuries in preseason games and lowest rates in playoff games. Most game-loss injuries had acute onset, and half of those involved contact with another player.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

These findings - through reliable data reporting by team medical staff in an audited system - can guide evidence-based injury reduction strategies and inform player health priorities.

Elite and Professional sports facial injuries management - a consensus report

Whilst there have been great improvements in the management of elite and professional athletes with the formalisation of the clinical specialty of Sports and Exercise medicine, the management of facial injuries has perhaps lagged in this group. Professional athletic careers can be put in jeopardy due to unnecessarily long absences from training and competition after facial injuries. Professional and elite sports athletes can benefit from different approaches to the management of their facial injuries to reduce time away from competing but maximise their safety. On 6^th December 2018, a consensus meeting of interested clinicians involved in the management of facial injuries of elite and professional athletes was held at the Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK to provide a contemporary review of the approaches to conservative, operative and recovery management of facial injuries. National experts with specialist experience of facial injuries presentation and athlete needs from a range of elite and professional sports led the day's programme and the discussions so that guidelines could be formulated. These are presented in this review paper.

The Use of Different Modes of Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP) for Enhancing Speed of the Slide-Step in Basketball Players

Background: This study aimed to determine whether 5% of body mass-resisted or assisted conditioning activity (CA) can enhance 5 m slide-step movement performance. Methods: Sixteen division I basketball players participated in this study (23.6 ± 4.4 years; 86.3 ± 5.9 kg; 192.3 ± 6.2 cm; training experience 6.7 ± 2.6 years). The experiment was performed following a randomized crossover design, where each participant performed two different exercise protocols-assisted and resisted CA each consisting of four sets of 10 m slide-step movement with 5% of body mass external load and 1 min rest intervals between. To assess the differences between baseline and post-assisted, as well as post-resisted CA, the participants performed a 2 × 5 m slide-step movement 6 min after each CA protocol. The differences in time between baseline, post-assisted and post-resisted CA were examined using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: ANOVA indicated a statistically significant difference between baseline and post-assisted postactivation performance enhancement (PAPE) (p = 0.011). There were no significant intragroup differences between baseline and post-resisted CA (p = 0.230). Conclusion: Findings of the study show that a light load assisted CA (5% of body mass) effectively elicits a potentiation response among basketball players.

Flexibility responses to different stretching methods in young elite basketball players

Introduction

The aims of study were: 1) to verify the effectiveness of different stretching methods and training; 2) to compare the effects with only training on the flexibility of joints in basketball players.

Methods

30 males basketball players (age: 17±1yrs; BMI: 23.4±3.1), divided into 2 groups (15 experimental group - EG - and 15 control group, CG), participated to study. EG performed 5 different stretching method: passive stretching, active stretching, postural protocol, PNF and dynamic stretching. To assess differences (p<0.05) between groups, an ANOVA was applied to anthropometrics characteristic (age; height; weight and BMI) and flexibility performances (leg raise in a supine position; forward trunk bending). ANOVA for repeated measurements was conducted to asses differences in each group with time (i.e., pre-post).

Results

Results showed a variation linked to time (F=21.9; p<0.0001) and an effect of the treatment of the leg raise in a supine position test (F=25.1; p<0.0001). Also in flexion test of trunk, the average values could be linked to time of measurement (F=9.96; p<0.0001) and group (F=8.65; p<0.0001).

Conclusion

The results suggest that a specific different stretching protocol should be used in different part of body to offer performance benefit and decreasing of the incidents of injuries.

Level of evidence

IV.

A School-Based Neuromuscular Training Program and Sport-Related Injury Incidence: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

CONTEXT

  An estimated 40 million school-aged children (age range = 5-18 years) participate annually in sports in the United States, generating approximately 4 million sport-related injuries and requiring 2.6 million emergency department visits at a cost of nearly $2 billion.

OBJECTIVE

  To determine the effects of a school-based neuromuscular training (NMT) program on sport-related injury incidence across 3 sports at the high school and middle school levels, focusing particularly on knee and ankle injuries.

DESIGN

  Randomized controlled clinical trial.

SETTING

  A total of 5 middle schools and 4 high schools in a single-county public school district.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

  A total of 474 girls (222 middle school, 252 high school; age = 14.0 ± 1.7 years, height = 161.0 ± 8.1 cm, mass = 55.4 ± 12.2 kg) were cluster randomized to an NMT (CORE; n = 259 athletes) or sham (SHAM; n = 215 athletes) intervention group by team within each sport (basketball, soccer, and volleyball).

INTERVENTION(S)

  The CORE intervention consisted of exercises focused on the trunk and lower extremity, whereas the SHAM protocol consisted of resisted running using elastic bands. Each intervention was implemented at the start of the season and continued until the last competition. An athletic trainer evaluated athletes weekly for sport-related injuries. The coach recorded each athlete-exposure (AE), which was defined as 1 athlete participating in 1 coach-directed session (game or practice).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

  Injury rates were calculated overall, by sport, and by competition level. We also calculated rates of specific knee and ankle injuries. A mixed-model approach was used to account for multiple injuries per athlete.

RESULTS

  Overall, the CORE group reported 107 injuries (rate = 5.34 injuries/1000 AEs), and the SHAM group reported 134 injuries (rate = 8.54 injuries/1000 AEs; F_1,578 = 18.65, P < .001). Basketball (rate = 4.99 injuries/1000 AEs) and volleyball (rate = 5.74 injuries/1000 AEs) athletes in the CORE group demonstrated lower injury incidences than basketball (rate = 7.72 injuries/1000 AEs) and volleyball (rate = 11.63 injuries/1000 AEs; F_1,275 = 9.46, P = .002 and F_1,149 = 11.36, P = .001, respectively) athletes in the SHAM group. The CORE intervention appeared to have a greater protective effect on knee injuries at the middle school level (knee-injury incidence rate = 4.16 injuries/1000 AEs) than the SHAM intervention (knee-injury incidence rate = 7.04 injuries/1000 AEs; F_1,261 = 5.36, P = .02). We did not observe differences between groups for ankle injuries ( F_1,578 = 1.02, P = .31).

CONCLUSIONS

  Participation in an NMT intervention program resulted in a reduced injury incidence relative to participation in a SHAM intervention. This protective benefit of NMT was demonstrated at both the high school and middle school levels.

Face masks and basketball: NCAA division I consumer trends and a review of over-the-counter face masks

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

This study aims to: 1) determine the current consumer trends of over-the-counter (OTC) and custom-made face mask usage among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletic programs; and 2) provide a literature review of OTC face guards and a classified database.

STUDY DESIGN

Literature review and survey.

METHODS

Consumer trends were obtained by contacting all 352 NCAA Division I programs. Athletic trainers present in the office when called answered the following questions: 1) "When an athlete breaks his or her nose, is a custom or generic face guard used?" and 2) "What brand is the generic face guard that is used?" Data was analyzed to determine trends among athletic programs. Also, a database of OTC devices available was generated using PubMed, Google, and manufacturer Web sites.

RESULTS

Among the 352 NCAA Division I athletic programs, 254 programs participated in the survey (72% response rate). The majority preferred custom-made guards (46%). Disadvantages included high cost and slow manufacture turnaround time. Only 20% of the programs strictly used generic brands. For the face mask database, 10 OTC products were identified and classified into four categories based on design, with pricing ranging between $35.99 and $69.95.

CONCLUSION

Only a handful of face masks exist for U.S. consumers, but none of them have been reviewed or classified by product design, sport application, price, and collegiate consumer use. This project details usage trends among NCAA Division I athletic programs and provides a list of available devices that can be purchased to protect the nose and face during sports.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

NA. Laryngoscope, 126:1054-1060, 2016.

Epidemiology of basketball, soccer, and volleyball injuries in middle-school female athletes

BACKGROUND

An estimated 30 to 40 million school children participate in sports in the United States; 34% of middle-school participants become injured and seek medical treatment at an annual cost close to $2 billion. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the injury incidence and rates in female athletes in the middle-school setting during the course of 3 seasons.

METHODS

Female basketball, soccer, and volleyball players were recruited from a single county public school district in Kentucky consisting of 5 middle schools. A total of 268 female athletes (162 basketball, 26 soccer, and 80 volleyball) participated. Athletes were monitored for sports-related injury and number of athlete exposures (AEs) by an athletic trainer. Injury rates were calculated for specific types of injuries within each sport. Injury rates for games and practices were also calculated and compared for each sport.

RESULTS

A total of 134 injuries were recorded during the 3 sport seasons. The knee was the most commonly injured body part (99 injuries [73.9%]), of which patellofemoral dysfunction (31.3%), Osgood-Schlatter disease (10.4%), and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson/patella tendinosis (9%) had the greatest incidence. The ankle was the second most commonly injured body part, accounting for 16.4% of all injuries. The overall rates of injury by sport were as follows: soccer, 6.66 per 1000 AEs; volleyball, 3.68 per 1000 AEs; and basketball, 2.86 per 1000 AEs.

CONCLUSIONS

Female middle-school athletes displayed comparable injury patterns to those seen in their high-school counterparts. Future work is warranted to determine the potential for improved outcomes in female middle-school athletes with access to athletic training services.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

As the participation levels and number of injuries continue to rise, middle-school athletes demonstrate an increasing need for medical services provided by a certified athletic trainer.

Rehabilitation of basketball injuries

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States and throughout the world, and therefore represents one of the most common sources of sports-related injuries. Basketball injuries should be managed by the same general rehabilitation principles as other sports injuries. Additionally, the clinician should be aware not only of general sports injuries but of those injuries most commonly seen in basketball players. By maintaining knowledge of the most common basketball injuries as well as their diagnosis and treatment, the clinician can help to optimize the athlete's return to play and enjoyment of the sport.

Musculoskeletal injuries in the pediatric and adolescent athlete

There are approximately 35 million children participating in organized sports in the United States. With this increasing participation, we have seen an overall increase in sports-related injuries in young athletes over the past 20 years. Young athletes suffer both acute and chronic, or overuse, injuries. They are susceptible to many of the same injuries as their adult counterparts, but due to the effects of growth on the musculoskeletal system, they are at risk for injuries to the growth plate, apophysis, and joint surface. Common acute and overuse injuries seen in young athletes are discussed here.

Single leg balance test to identify risk of ankle sprains

BACKGROUND

Ankle sprains are a common and potentially disabling injury. Successful prediction of susceptibility to ankle sprain injury with a simple test could allow ankle sprain prevention protocols to be initiated and help prevent disability in the athletic population.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the ability of the single leg balance (SLB) test, carried out at preseason physical examination, to predict an ankle sprain during the autumn sports season.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study

SETTING

High school varsity athletics and intercollegiate athletics.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Ankle sprains in athletes with positive SLB tests.

RESULTS

The association between a positive SLB test and future ankle sprains was significant. Controlling for confounding variables, the relative risk for an ankle sprain with a positive SLB test was 2.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 6.03). Athletes with a positive SLB test who did not tape their ankles had an increased likelihood of developing ankle sprains. The relative risk for ankle sprain for a positive SLB test and negative taping was 8.82 (1.07 to 72.70). A history of previous ankle injury was not associated with future ankle sprains in this study. The kappa value for interrater reliability for the SLB test was 0.898 (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

An association was demonstrated between a positive SLB test and ankle sprain. In athletes with a positive SLB test, not taping the ankle imposed an increased risk of sprain. The SLB test is a reliable and valid test for predicting ankle sprains.

Influência de implementos para o tornozelo nas respostas biomecânicas do salto e aterrissagem no basquete

FUNDAMENTOS E OBJETIVO: O segmento mais freqüentemente lesado no basquetebol é o tornozelo, sendo a entorse por inversão a lesão mais comum. Para evitá-la, é comum o uso de implementos. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a força reação do solo (FRS) em jogadores de basquete durante execução do salto em três situações: uso de tênis, bandagem e tênis, e tênis e órtese tipo Aircast. MÉTODOS: Oito atletas foram analisados durante o salto, através de uma plataforma de força, nas três situações citadas, para análise das componentes vertical e horizontal médio-lateral da FRS. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÃO: Não houve diferença estatística significativa entre as três situações na componente vertical da FRS durante o salto, embora o uso de bandagem tenda a apresentar, na impulsão, maiores valores do pico de força vertical (3,10 ± 0,46PC; 3,01 ± 0,39PC; 3,03 ± 0,41PC) e do gradiente de crescimento (GC) (12,33 ± 12,21PC; 8,16 ± 3,89PC; 8,46 ± 3,85PC), e durante a aterrissagem, menores valores de pico de força vertical (5,18 ± 1,35PC; 5,56 ± 1,31PC; 5,49 ± 1,44PC) e do GC (88,83 ± 33,85PC; 95,63 ± 42,64PC; 94,53 ± 31,69PC). Durante a impulsão, a força medial do salto com Aircast foi significativamente menor que com tênis (p = 0,0249) e apresentou valor semelhante ao do uso da bandagem, enquanto a força lateral foi significativamente maior com a bandagem do que com tênis (p = 0,0485) e tendeu a ser maior do que o Aircast. Na aterrissagem o componente médio-lateral da FRS ficou inalterado nas três situações. Concluiu-se que a bandagem potencializou a força direcionada ao salto vertical durante a impulsão, porém não estabilizou tanto quanto o Aircast os movimentos de inversão e eversão do pé. Durante a aterrissagem, os implementos não foram efetivos para reduzir a força médio-lateral, mas com a bandagem, houve um tempo maior para absorção do impacto.

Sports injuries among children in six European union countries

Since sports participation entails the risk of injuries that account for substantial morbidity and disability, the existence of adequate epidemiological information is essential for the development of sound preventive strategies. In this study, we present data on the occurrence of sports injuries among children in six European countries, namely Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. An operational definition for sports injuries was developed, and comparable data from the European Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System, an established injury surveillance system operating in 12 European union countries, were collected from the participating member states, during a 1-year period (1998). Sports injuries were examined in schools, in organised and unorganised settings, and in specific types of sports by demographics and injury descriptive variables. Sports injuries represent a quantitatively important and sufficiently serious problem in European union countries, accounting for an estimated annual number of about a quarter of a million outpatient visits in two of the participating countries, which provide national estimates. It is evident, that sport injuries are not only common but also injuries of considerable severity, since a large fraction represents fractures, while approximately 4% of the total require hospitalisation. Football and basketball among male children are, in declining order, the two sports responsible for the most frequent injuries in the European union countries, whereas gymnastics and volleyball prevail among females. The study indicates the importance of injury surveillance in describing the epidemiology of sports injuries and provides an estimate of the magnitude and the profile of sport injuries that take place annually in European union countries.

Exploração de fatores de risco de lesões desportivas entre universitários de educação física: estudo a partir de estudantes de Sorocaba/SP

O objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar os fatores de risco presentes na incidência de lesões desportivas (LD), entre 307 alunos da Faculdade de Educação Física da ACM de Sorocaba; especificamente visou-se explorar associações entre LD, modalidade e região corporal afetada. Trata-se de investigação observacional, transversal, considerando como variáveis independentes sexo, idade, índice de massa corporal (IMC), período de curso, fase do curso e modalidade, e, como dependentes, as referências de LD ocorridas no período de duas semanas. Os dados de interesse foram coletados através de inquérito de morbidade referida. No plano analítico, associações foram testadas pelo teste do qui-quadrado e realizou-se análise multivariada segundo ajuste de modelo logístico. Os principais resultados revelaram: 1) predominância significativa de LD nos membros inferiores (MMII); 2) associação entre estiramento e entorse nos MMII; 3) incidência maior de LD no primeiro semestre comparado com o sétimo; e 4) sexo, idade, período e IMC não se configuraram como fator risco para LD.