The number of traumatic brain injuries among basketball players under the age of 20 skyrocketed between 1997 and 2007, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers also noted that the total number of basketball-related injuries to participants between 5 and 19 decreased by 21 percent over the same 11-year period, to about 4.1 million.
The proportion of basketball injuries that were traumatic brain injuries was 2.6 percent, but that figure nearly doubled among boys and tripled among girls over time, according to the study's senior author Laura B. McKenzie of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "To address the problem of traumatic brain injuries and manage them effectively, education of coaches, athletes, and parents is vital," McKenzie told concussion." The use of age-appropriate basketballs may decrease rates of concussion (as well as finger-related injuries) among younger players, she added.
Overall, the most common basketball-related injuries among youth players are strains or sprains to the lower extremities (30.3 percent), particularly the ankle (23.8 percent), according to the study. Boys are more likely to sustain lacerations and fractures or dislocations, while girls are more likely to sustain traumatic brain injuries and knee injuries. Older children (15 to 19) are three times more likely to injure their lower extremities, and younger children (5 to 10) are more likely to injure their upper extremities and sustain traumatic brain injuries and fractures or dislocations.
