Hand Injuries in Basketball
Basketball is a high impact sport. Aside from the frequent wear and tear of your feet, knees and hips, let’s not forget about your hands.
Without your hands in great condition, you can’t dribble the ball, pass the ball to your teammates, shoot or dunk the ball, block your opponent’s pass or shoot, and you can’t get the rebound. With all these different hand maneuvers in this sport, your hands are at risk of sustaining hand injuries.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned player, if you’re not cautious enough, you might suffer from the following hand injuries:
Jammed finger
If you’ve been playing basketball for a long time now, you have probably experienced this type of injury. A jammed finger is also known
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Basketball players with a thumb sprain often experience symptoms of pain and swelling of the affected joint. You may also hear a popping sound as the injury occurs. You’ll also notice that your thumb joint lacks stability as if it is loose.
To relieve pain and swelling from a thumb sprain, rest your hands and ice the affected part.
Wrist sprain
Another common hand injury in basketball is a wrist sprain. It usually occurs when you collided with a player and fall on your outstretched hand, or when you twist your wrist while attempting to make a dunk but forcefully blocked.
A wrist sprain happens when you pull or tear a ligament in your wrist. A ligament is responsible for connecting the end of your bone to another. When the ligament of your wrist is torn, you’ll experience symptoms of pain, swelling and bruising around the affected area.
Just like a jammed finger, if your wrist sprain is only mild or moderate, you can treat it with rest, ice and compression of a bandage. You can also elevate your arm above the level of your heart to promote blood flow and reduce the swelling.
Wrist