An assessment of basketball injuries in Kenya
Abstract
Basketball is, theoretically, a no-contact game, but it has been established that
personal contact cannot be avoided entirely when 10 players are moving with
great speed over a limited space. Due to this obvious contact, high tempers and
friction, so many injuries have occurred during games, which have led to loss of
playing time as well as physical and psychological consequences. This study
investigated the aetiology and time course of the injuries in both male and female
basketball players during the first phase of the 1997National Basketball Classic
League, in order to detect a substantial typology of sports injuries and offer
special programmes for their prevention. Results indicated that the main
aetiological factors were the opponent, the floor and type of shoes. Most of the
injuries occurred during pressure defences and inside plays. No major difference
was found in the pattern of injuries between the male and female players. Based
on results of this study, it will seem that the number and severity of injuries in
basketball could be minimised, if the rules and mechanics of officiating pressure
defences, charged/ block and inside-plays are amended.