Thursday: Instability: 3:18 – 3:20 am
Foot Injuries in the National Basketball Association
Presenting Author:
Jeffrey R. Jockel, MD – Boston, Massachusetts
Additional Authors:
Jeremie M. Axe, MD
Chad Starkey, PhD, PT
Mark P. Slovenkai, MD
Brian McKeon, MD
Summary
Foot injuries occurring in the National Basketball Association were evaluated over a 21-season surveillance
period to reveal injury patterns and trends in professional basketball players.
Introduction
While foot and ankle injuries are synonymous with the sport of basketball, there has been a paucity of
research specifically evaluating foot injuries in this athletic population. The purpose of this study was to
review the foot injuries sustained in the National Basketball Association over a 21-season surveillance period
as a model for understanding these injuries at the professional competition level. With a focus on identifying
injury trends, incidence, type, specific diagnoses, and time lost from play, our hypothesis is that foot injuries
are a common cause of injury and missed play in professional basketball players.
Methods
The National Basketball Trainer’s Association (NBTA) injury database was retrospectively reviewed to
evaluate all foot injuries occurring over a 21-season period from the 1988/1989 thru 2009/2010 NBA
seasons. Foot injuries were defined as injuries distal to the tibiotalar joint, including proximal soft tissue
structures with insertions distal to the ankle. Injury trends by season, player position, competition setting,
mechanism, and injury type were evaluated. Injury frequency, game-related injury incidence, time lost from
play, and surgical rates were calculated for specific diagnoses.
Results
Foot injuries accounted for 2220 reports (14% of all NBTA injuries) with a trend showing the increased
occurrence of foot injuries over the surveillance period. Specific foot regions included 627 forefoot (28% of all
foot injuries), 341 midfoot (15% of all foot injuries), and 1252 hindfoot injuries (56% of all foot injuries). Fortysix percent of injuries were game-related injuries, while 54% occurred in non-game settings. Inflammatory
injuries occurred most frequently (38% of all injuries), followed by muscle strains (24%) and ligament sprains
(20%), contusions (8%), and fractures (7%). The fewest injuries were sustained by centers (19%), while
guards and forwards each accounted for 41% of foot injuries. The highest game-related injury incidences
were for triceps surae/Achilles strains (5.1 per 1000 athletic exposures), chopart-midfoot-lisfranc joint sprains
(2.9 per 1000AE), and 1st MTP sprains (1.8 per 1000AE). The greatest mean time lost occurred after
peroneal tendon rupture (83.3 days), triceps surae/Achilles rupture (83.1 days), and metatarsal fracture (42.1
days). Five percent of all foot injuries were treated with surgical intervention.
Conclusions
Foot injuries are a common cause of injury and missed play in professional basketball players.
Understanding these injury patterns may allow for the development of strategies to improve foot injury
treatment and prevention.
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