MEDICINA SPORTIVA - Journal of Romanian Sports Medicine Society

Injury patterns and perceived risk factors among basketball players in Nigeria

Sport injuries are expected consequence of athletic competition, and are not generally caused as a result of a single causative factor but are associated with various risk factors interacting at a given time. Sports injury is a public health concern, as it has detrimental effects on the health and well-being of young athletes. Basketball continues to increase in popularity in Nigeria as a participation sport at all levels of play, from recreational to professional but there is a dearth of information on basketball injuries in Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to determine the prevalence, pattern of injury and perceived risk factors of basketball players in Nigeria.
Material and Method. The study was a cross-sectional survey involving 110 basketball players (96 males and 14 females) including amateur and professionals. The amateur players were recruited from various stadia in Lagos state and professionals players were those who participated in the Dstv Basketball Premier League. The trainings and matches were watched and recording was done. Basketball-related injuries data were collated during trainings and matches using a standardized basketball injury report questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21.0 and was summarized with mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, tables.
Results. The 12 months prevalence of sport injury during training session for the basketball players was 80.8%. Sudden turn or twist (40.0%) was the most common cause of injury and majority of the injuries were to the lower extremities being more represented at the ankle joint (39.1%). Ligament sprain (52.7%) was the most common type of injury and massage (41.8%) was the most frequently used modality for treatment. Eightyone percent of the players never made use of mouth guard and 83% always play on a concrete surface during training session.
Conclusion. The findings from this study showed that the prevalence of basketball injury was relatively high compared with other studies. Sudden turn, twist or stop, fall from bad landing technique, collision with obstacle, hit by a projectile and previous injury were the major mechanisms of injury. Majority of the injuries were to the lower extremities, being more predominant in the ankle and knee region. The major perceived risk factors, were none usage of mouth guard and playing on a concrete surface.