Basketball Injuries
What are the most common basketball injuries and how to minimise the risk?
I have had a couple of coaches message and ask if I could do some resources about common basketball injuries. So this post is about the injuries many basketballers will be all too aware of. This post will give a basic overview of common basketball injuries and how to minimise the risk. Keep your eyes peeled for more in depth resources for specific injuries.
Now you may have noticed, I have said minimise risk and not prevent. This may seem like semantics; however, we cannot prevent injuries when it comes to basketball. We cannot stop someone from landing on someone’s foot and rolling their ankle, (I am sure the ballers out there will feel the pain as they read that). Conversely, we can minimise the risk of that action causing an injury to the player by building their tolerance to that stress. Therefore, for this article, I refer to minimising injury risk rather than preventing injuries.
When it comes to playing basketball, pretty much every group of muscles are involved. Therefore, it isn’t much of a surprise that the commonly used muscles and joints are the ones that are susceptible to injuries. Therefore, one of the most basic ways to minimise risk is to do a general athletic conditioning programme for legs, arms and trunk.
Whilst it is possible to injure any muscle or joint involved, the following are the most common. To find the most common basketball injuries, I have looked at the 17 year review from NBA and the report from National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA).
Before we get started, remember these resources should not replace diagnosis and management from a medical professional. Always check before you follow the guidance.
Ankle Sprain – the ‘ballers injury’
Ankle sprains…they say you are not a true baller until you have felt the pain of rolling your ankle. Either that or you are true baller who has strong and mobile ankles alongside a massive dose of luck.
According to the reports, foot and ankle injuries lead the way when it comes to basketball. Ankle sprains coming top. This will occur when you twist, turn or roll your ankle further than the tissues can tolerate. This is most likely to happen when driving past another player or landing awkwardly.
Ankle sprains will often result in pain and sometimes, swelling, bruising and stiffness. Some sprains will take a couple of days to recover, whilst others will take weeks to months. Keep your eyes peeled for a series of posts on how to manage ankles sprains and common injuries.

Minimising the risk of ankle sprains
My number one go-to for this is a good strengthening and mobility routine. I want the ankle to be able to tolerate being taken through a full range of movement and being strong in different positions. In addition, the ankle also needs to be able to tolerate running, jumping and landing, so conditioning for this is vital too. Therefore, hip and core conditioning is a key piece too.
Making sure that you have appropriate basketball footwear is important. The most important feature I look for is one that gives a good grip on the court. Supports and taping can be beneficial, but they shouldn’t replace getting strong and mobile.
The dead leg (hip and thigh injuries)
I received a dead leg at the end of last year again it is not one of the most fun when it comes to pain. Another name for this is a contusion and in addition to pain…bruising, reduced movement and spasms can be symptoms. The most common cause will be another player’s knee striking the thigh.
Other than a dead leg, the hips and thighs can be prone to strains and sprains due to the fact basketball involves pivoting, running, jumping, skipping and rebounding.
Minimising risk of hip and thigh injuries
Now the only way to minimise the risk of a dead leg is to wear padded undershorts. Conditioning, nutrition, sleep and minimising stress will help you recover from a dead leg quicker but they won’t reduce risk.
As mentioned for ankle sprains, a comprehensive strength, mobility and conditioning programme will minimise the risk of sprains and strains.
Knee Pain
I have not gone too specific with the type of injury for the knee. Knee pain can be common in basketballers, again due to the nature of the sport involving running and jumping. However, significant injuries such as ACL tears are not as common as many people would think. Sitting third from the reports is minor strains and sprains.
When it comes to pain there can be many different factors that are not always related to the tissues. Pain and tissue damage do not always correlate. You can have lots of pain with little damage; think of stepping on a Lego brick. Likewise, you can have no pain and have a more significant injury; there are many instances of soldiers being shot and not realising. Whilst the tissues are important in some instances, we also need to account for psychological and lifestyle factors too.
Minimising risk of knee pain/injuries
Again, one of the best strategies for minimising knee pain and injuries is to maintain a balanced and comprehensive strength, mobility and conditioning programme. This could incorporate strength/weights, yoga, pilates in addition to skill/game specific movement. Proper programming for this is essential to make sure that it is specific to the individual and encompasses appropriate rest and recovery.
Good nutrition, sleep, relaxation and building resilience can all help to keep the body functioning at its best and improves its capacity to deal with the sport.
In addition to this, knee guards can be utilised to protect from bumps, bruises and friction burns. This will often come down to personal preference though. Knee supports and braces can be helpful at the right times but aren’t a replacement for the above.
Jammed Fingers and Thumbs (hand/wrist)

A bit like ankle sprains, most ballers will know the pain of having the ball slam into the tip of your finger. For me, the thumb is always the worst. It is probably not surprising that this is one of the most common injuries but it is difficult to avoid. You can’t prevent someone tipping the ball and changing its path into your hand.
Although this often causes significant pain at the time, the good news it is often short living. Recovery times are quick and treatment normally limited to just letting it settle. Ice and taping to adjacent finger can help in some instances.
Interestingly, only around 10% of basketball injuries happen to the wrist, hand and forearm. Surprising considering the game is predominantly played with the hands and involves catching, dribbling, and passing, shooting and stealing the ball.
Minimising risk
When it comes to the jammed fingers, it is difficult to minimise the risk. Yes being strong and mobile at the wrist and finger will help but it often comes down to awareness and reaction skills. Jamming your finger often happens because of poor timing or taking your eye off the ball. The better your reactions the less likely it is to happen. The more aware you of your surroundings, the less likely you are to jam your finger on an opponent.
Head Injuries
Being short, this is one I am all too familiar with. For a non-contact sport, basketball is a very physical game and it comes with its fair share of bumps, knocks and falls. Bumping heads, taking an elbow (or a knee in my case) to the face and hitting the head off the floor are all situations a player faces.
Even though cuts and nosebleeds (epistaxis if we want to get fancy) are the most common head injuries, concussion is the more serious and important one.
Minimising risk of head injuries
Avoiding head contact is difficult to minimise. Therefore, watching out for concussions symptoms is the most important thing. Regardless of whether you are a player, a parent, a coach or an official, learning about how to recognise symptoms and what should be done is a valuable skill to have. I would encourage all to look at HEADCASE programme and Basketball England Guidelines.
Takeaway
One final takeaway from the NATA report is that fatigue plays a big part in injuries. Nearly 60% of injuries occur in the 3rd and 4th quarters of games. This is why good conditioning is important from a players point of view.
For coaches, recognising when players are fatigued and rotating players can reduce injury risk to your squad. In addition to this, making sure players are looking after themselves outside of training sessions can be beneficial. Strength and conditioning should be a vital component either within or outside of training sessions.
Remember, there is only so much that can be done to minimise the risk of injuries, accidents will still happen. Following the general recommendations outlined will help. If you have been injured and are in doubt, get it checked out by an appropriate clinician or make contact with us.