Baseball Injuries

Muscle Strains

The quick bursts of speed and direction changes inherent in basketball can make for sore muscles after a hard-fought game. Athletes are most likely to experience muscle strains early in the season when their conditioning level isn’t where it needs to be. Even late in the season, however, you could strain a muscle when you’re fatigued at the end of a game.

Recreational basketball players can avoid some of the early season muscle trauma by working on strength and conditioning prior to the season. Work on quick bursts of activity. Try sprinting on the court both the length and the width, with and without the ball.

If you experience a painful muscle strain, ice it right away and keep icing it on and off for 72 hours or until any swelling has subsided. Don’t apply heat to anything that’s swollen. You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, which are helpful for relieving the pain of many minor injuries. Best is to consult the sports medicine specialist at A+OSM.

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Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprains is again a very common injury that a basketball player faces.
These are usually inversion ankle sprains to the ligaments on the outside of the ankle.

To treat an ankle sprain, just remember the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). Icing especially will help control the swelling that can cause pain over the several days following an injury. You may need to see the specialized at A+OSM to determine if the ankle is sprained or broken and ,You would needs a brace or cast.

Knee Sprain

The most common knee sprain in basketball is a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain and can be caused by either planting then cutting too hard or by hitting the outside of your knee on someone else’s planted leg. Pre-season leg strengthening helps prevent many knee injuries.

Treat MCL sprains with ice or game ready (available at A+OSM )for compression .Also you would need a brace to immobilizer it.

A torn MCL can be a fairly serious injury and must be evaluated and treated by a physician.

Torn ACL

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). ACL tears are fairly common in basketball, especially in female players, whose hip structures often lead to “knock-kneed” landings. Practice jumping and landing properly balanced on both feet, and on the balls of your feet.

If you think you might have a torn ACL, get evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon. A torn ACL usually requires reconstructive surgery.

Pre-season Drills

Ideally, you’d start training for basketball season three weeks before it started, building a base of strength and conditioning and building up from there. But for most recreational athletes, that’s not realistic and doing something is better than doing nothing. So try to get at least a base level of conditioning built up in the weeks or months prior to the season. Focus on strength training squats, plymetrics, and jumping drills as well as drills that improve your ability to move well on the court.

Do a sideways shuffle for the length of the court, passing the medicine ball back and forth. This works your shuffling ability, balance, strength, and ability to stay low.