University basketball injuries: a five‐year study of women's and men's varsity teams

Abstract

On the basis of case records, the injuries of a female and a male university basketball team were examined over a 5‐year period. The female team had more clinic visits, physiotherapy and rechecks. Men sustained more new injuries. The body part most frequently injured on both teams was the foot/ankle, followed by the knee. Women had more injuries and rechecks of the knee than men, while foot/ankle injuries required more rechecks among men. It is suggested that women had more rechecks due to more severe injuries, greater anxiety and greater acceptance of rechecks offered. Possible explanations for the greater number of new injuries in men could be greater body mass, a higher degree of contact and lesser flexibility.