Characteristics of injuries in adolescent basketball athletes

INTRODUCTION: Basketball is a physical contact sport that involves complex movements such as jumping, spinning, and changing directions, all of which frequently cause injuries. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to understand the characteristics of injuries on adolescent basketball athletes. METHODS: This study uses a descriptive method with a cross-sectional study approach using a web-based questionnaire (Google Forms) consisting of close-ended questions to examine the history, types, factors, and treatments of the injuries experienced by the adolescent basketball athletes at the Student Sports Training Center (Pusat Pelatihan Olahraga Pelajar or PPOP) of DKI Jakarta. The subjects are 14 male and female athletes with an average age of 15.9±1.1 years old, an average height of 172.29±9.33 centimeters, and an average weight of 65.71±10.06 kilogram. The research instrument is a questionnaire distributed online in the form of Google Forms. A validity test was conducted on the questionnaire using Aikens. Data Questionnaire result data were analyzed using a percentage analysis on the answers to each question in the questionnaire. RESULTS: The results revealed that 76% of the athletes experienced injuries in the lower limb, with the most frequent injury in the ankle joint (45%). Furthermore, the athletes also stated that sprains/twists are the most experienced type of injury (42%). The training sessions were when 79% of the athletes experienced their injuries, whereas the other 21% experienced them during the matches. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study cannot generalize the findings because it only involved 14 participants, which is also a limitation of this study, but these findings report that the greater injury that occurs during exercise is the ankle joint, so the authors suggest doing an adequate warm-up. Before starting a training session or during a competitive training session, preventing injuries is the best approach for athletes to reduce their occurrence.