“Basketball is life, everything else is an interruption.”
–Planet Hoops
Whether it’s the NBA, college hoops, high school games or rec leagues, it’s definitely basketball season. Basketball is a great way for kids to be active, but of course some children will be injured while playing the sport. Common injuries range from a simple ankle sprain to a more complex fracture. Sometimes radiology imaging is needed to determine the extent of the injury.
Often, doctors are concerned with any fracture that involves the growth plate of the bone. It’s important that these breaks are appropriately identified and then treated to ensure healthy growth in children.
Knee injuries can frequently occur from playing basketball. Sometimes the injury is a single event, such as a tear of the meniscus (the cushion between your knee bones) or the anterior cruciate ligament (piece of tissue attaching your knee bones together). Other basketball injuries can occur over a longer period of time and usually affect the front of the knee. These long-standing injuries can involve the lower part of the knee cap, referred to as Sinding Larsen Johansson disease in growing children and jumper’s knee in older children who are finished growing. Osgood Schlatter disease is another diagnosis involving the lower knee seen in growing children.
Besides leg injuries, fingers can be injured from being jammed when catching the ball. Head injuries are also a concern, resulting from either physical contact with other players or a fall on the court.
Regardless of the injury, the radiologists at Cincinnati Children’s are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help with any necessary imaging.
Contributed by Dr. Andrew Zbojniewicz and edited by Catherine Leopard (CCLSS).
Alex is a radiologist and the Neil D. Johnson Chair of Radiology Informatics. In this role, he helps to manage the information systems used by the Radiology department. Clinically, Alex is the Assistant Director of thoracoabdominal imaging. His research interests include liver disease, liver tumors, inflammatory bowel disease, and appendicitis.
