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Basketball Leading in Popularity - and Injuries | |
| By IRA DREYFUSS Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Baseball calls itself the nation's pastime, but a new survey finds basketball is not only the team sport with the most players, it's the one making the strongest gains. The catch is in a separate report, which finds that basketball also leads in injuries. The participation survey was done by the National Sporting Goods Association. The trade association analyzed questionnaires in which more than 45,000 people reported what they did for recreation in 1995. Basketball had the sharpest growth in team sports, 6.8 percent, to 30.1 million people playing it at least once in 1995, the survey found. In contrast, baseball was up 4.2 percent, to 15.7 million. Softball was down 2.9 percent but still had 17.6 million participants. However, 1995 data on hospital emergency room visits show that basketball is the most injurious recreational activity. The statistics were gathered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has not yet publicly released them. They were obtained from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a professional group. Last year, almost 694,000 basketball injuries were examined in emergency rooms, the report said. That's down approximately 3 percent from 1994. Bicycling was second, with close to 600,000 cases, and football was third, with almost 390,200. Baseball was sixth, at 219,000 cases, and softball was eighth, with less than 156,000. While the bone specialists like to see people play ball, they are worried about the basketball injury rates and believe that many injuries could have been prevented by proper training and conditioning. "You can't go out and try to play basketball when you haven't done any sprinting for four, five, six months," said Dr. Letha Griffin of Atlanta, who acts as the academy's spokeswoman on the injury issue. As an orthopedic surgeon, Griffin pays close attention to knee and ankle injuries, which accounted for about 271,400 of the emergency room diagnoses. Players can protect their ankles with calf-strengthening exercises that build the muscles which work the ankles, Griffin said. For instance, they can push against an object using their ankles, she said. In doing this, they should keep their toes pointed down, so they work muscles in the back of the ankle, which stabilizes the joint, Griffin said. And players can strengthen the knee with weight training that involves bending the knee, Griffin said. Practicing the game improves both play and safety, said Bernie DePalma, head athletic trainer at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Jump shots and layups build neuromuscular coordination, he said. Wearing bracing may also reduce the injury risk, DePalma said. With hot weather here, the risk of heat injury also rises, and players need to drink plenty of water to reduce the risk. But that's not the only reason to drink a lot, said David L. Costill, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. It also affects play, he said. People who are low on water also lose endurance, Costill said. "They are going to be pretty lethargic after a point," he said. "They will feel exhausted." What's more, it only takes a 1-2 percent drop in body weight due to water loss to do this, Costill said. And, because thirst doesn't start until well after the water is lost, people must make themselves drink even when they are not thirsty, he said. Also, before a game outdoors on weatherbeaten playgrounds, check the court for grass, holes or bumps that could trip you, Griffin said. If possible, fill the holes to smooth the court, she said. And make an effort to play by the rules, Griffin said. Outdoor games without a referee may be more loosely policed than indoor, league-sanctioned games, but many of the rules were set to protect the player from injury, she said. Copyright 1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | |