Preventing Basketball Injuries

Preventing Basketball Injuries

icon

In part 1 of our basketball blog series, we talked about some of the most common injuries in basketball and the treatment options for them (if you missed it, you can check it out here). In part 2, we are going to discuss the prevention of injuries in basketball.

You can’t completely avoid injuries, but the good news is that you can decrease your risk.
In preventing injuries overall, here’s a couple of things to keep in mind:

Warm up and cool down

A good warm up and cool down is vital. Ensure you have a well thought out warm up and cool down routine, and always make time for it. Your warm up should include more dynamic based exercises and your cool down can include static stretches.

Supportive shoes

Make sure you have good quality, properly fitted, basketball shoes. For expert footwear advice, book in with one of our podiatrists today by calling (02) 4356 2588 or book online here.

Work on your weak points

Whether its core strength/control, proprioception, agility, plyometric skills or general fitness, it is important to identify and work on training your weak points to make sure you reduce your risk of injury and improve performance. Components such as core strength and control, proprioception, agility, plyometric skills and strength are all extremely important in basketball, so getting in specific training for each area, or those which you are weaker in, is important in helping you not only perform at your best, but also in reducing injury risk.

Taping

Sports taping, in some instances, could be your new best friend. You can use taping as a preventative measure at the recommendation of your physiotherapist. Taping may help as a preventative measure for ankles and fingers, plus can give you extra support when rehabilitating an injury. Taping has been shown to reduce the risk of re-injuring an ankle following a sprain. Always check with your physiotherapist or health professional before taping. Our video below shows the common method of ankle taping.

Identify risk of injury with a specific screening

Our world class physiotherapists can help to reduce the risk of injury by identifying weak spots through a musculoskeletal screening, and from there, can help you improve on those spots. Book in with one of our physiotherapists by calling (02) 4356 2588 or book online here.

Specifically speaking, there are a couple of things you can consider if you are susceptible to certain types of injuries.

Jumper’s Knee

If you are known to have knee problems, there are a couple of things you can consider to prevent knee injuries. Knee braces may provide support and can be considered at the recommendation of your physiotherapist. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee is important in maintaining healthy knees. Strengthening your quads, hamstrings and you calves is key. Remember to never neglect an area of your body in strength training, as this can lead to further problems.

Ankle sprains

Proper footwear is important for providing a good base of support for your ankles. As we said above, a podiatrist can give you the best possible footwear advice. Taping can also be considered in conjunction with your physiotherapist if you are susceptible to ankle injuries. Calf raises are a great strengthening exercise that you should include in your training, and you can also consider balance exercises to improve your ankle stability.

Wrist sprains

Preventing wrist sprains is more about awareness, however, if you are susceptible to wrist issues than you can discuss the use of taping or a brace with your physiotherapist.

You should see your physiotherapist should you have any concerns regarding an injury, or for tailored advice related to injury prevention. Book an appointment at Coast Sport by calling (02) 4356 2588 or book online here.

5v4ux8VkJOI

700

400

Yph_j9oDYvk

700

400

Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only. Do not rely or act upon information from www.coastsport.com.au without seeking professional medical advice. Do not delay seeing a doctor if you think you have a medical problem.