Posted on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 in Sports Medicine
It's time to hoop it up. If you're a sports fan, you know that means it's basketball season.
Turn on the TV and you'll find several college and NBA games to whet your appetite.
You can also go to your local gym and watch high school, middle school and grade school boys and girls tangle on the hardwood. You might even see adult men and women compete in recreational leagues.
Although basketball can be a fun sport, it does carry the risk of injury.
And that's where Signature Medical Group comes in. Our orthopedic and sports medicine experts are adept at treating sprains, strains, broken bones and pulled muscles. You can often see us the same day you make an appointment. And we offer convenient hours at our Orthopedics Now! clinics in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.
Tim Trupiano of Signature Medical Group is an athletic trainer at Vianney High School in Kirkwood. Trupiano says he mostly treats ankle sprains and finger and hand injuries.
"Ankle sprains occur frequently when the player lands after jumping, and are mostly inversion sprains,'' Trupiano says. "Several of the players wear ankle braces, which can significantly reduce the risk and severity of a sprain.''
Trupiano adds: "The hand injuries I see most often are finger fractures and dislocations. I have not found a way to eliminate them from occurring yet.''
How common are basketball injuries? According to momsteam.com:
- More than 200,000 affect kids under age 15 each year requiring treatment in hospital emergency departments.
- Basketball is the fourth leading cause of injury in unorganized settings and organized team sports.
- Injuries to basketball players are usually minor, mostly sprains and strains. The ankle and knee are the most common areas, followed by the lower back, hand, and wrist.
- Eye injuries are frequent, usually as a result of being hit with fingers or elbows.
- Along with baseball, basketball accounts for nearly half of all sports-related mouth injuries.
- At the high school and recreational levels, injuries occur more frequently in practice; college players are injured more often in games.
- Girls and women appear to have a slightly higher rate of injury than boys and men. And many of the injuries female players suffer are more serious than those of their male counterparts (such as knee injuries).
A study by the National Athletic Trainers Association says two players on every high school basketball team, regardless of gender, are likely to be injured during a season.
If you or your child suffers a basketball injury, know that a Signature Medical Group orthopedic specialist is nearby to help. Make an appointment today.