COMMON INJUries &
WAYSTO AVOID THEM
Truthbetold, thephysicalityofbasketbalisnotonlydemanding, butalsostrenlestendoncanhaveseriousimplicationson
ForNBAplayersaninjurytotheachiluous. From minorleaguebasketbalplayers performance. Inastudyconductedbydoctors tobasketbalal-stars, alwhoplaythesport ofDrexelUniversity, 18players, alofwhom understand thatitsfastpaced movements suferedablowtotheirachilestendonwere andexplosiveactionsincreasethepotential examined. Ofthose18players7hadtogive forinjury. Described and listed below are uptheirNBAcareerduetosevererupturesof someofthemostcommonbasketbalrelated thetendon. injuries.
Recently, fivetimeNBAchampionKobe
AchilesTendinitis Bryantwasavictim ofthisinjury.
AnyonewhoisfamiliarwithGreekmythologyknowsthattheachilestendon, most Thehamstringgroupofmuscles, locat-
HamstringStrains
obviouslynamedaftertheTrojanWarhero edatthebackofthethigh, aresusceptibleto Achiles, isthetendonwhichliesattheback injurywhensurgesofaccelerationandspeed oftheankleandatachesthegastrocnemius aredemandedabruptly. Dependingonthe to the calcaneus. Thistendon, when put severityofthestrain, bruisingandsweling underconsiderablepresurebymonotonous canoccur. Unlikesomeinjuries, ahamstring activitiessuchasrunningorjumping, can strainiseasilyevidentfrom immediatepain causepainandleadtoinflammation. Itisin andtightnesfeltatthebackofthethigh. thebestinterestofalathletestodetectearly Moreoftenthannot, ahamstringstrainwil signsofachilestendinitissuchasrednes occuragainifitisnotthoroughlytreatedbya andswelingbeforetheinjuryescalatesto sports injury specialist. Upon immediate becomechronic. injury, theP. I E. R. principleshouldbeapplied.
6 HoopsMagazine2013