Introduction: Basketball is a dynamic sport in which significant biomechanical stresses are applied to the lower extremity. Injuries particularly to the lower extremities are a common occurrence in basketball. The ankle joint accounts for slightly more than 25% of the total basketball injuries and a participant was more than twice as likely to suffer an ankle injury in a game vs. practice session (Dick, 2007). Methods A review of the literature was performed using PubMed to investigate general trends in basketball ankle injuries. Terms used in this search included basketball and ankle injuries. Results General trends in basketball injuries found that game injuries are more common than practice, women are more likely to incur an ankle injury compared to men and acute injuries are more common than chronic injuries (Harmer, 2005). About 17% of the ankle injures will result in the time-loss of 10 days or more (Dick, 2007) Centers tend to have a higher ankle injury rate compared to the other positions and the most common location on the court was in the key area (Kofotolis, 2007). Various taping procedures have been shown to be an effective technique in the prevention of injuries and it was found that using ankle taping significantly decreased the risk of reinjury especially in athletes with a history of ankle sprains (Kofotolis, 2007). Further, taping procedures can be used as part of the rehabilitation process to protect a joint from further damage. Discussion / Conclusions Several investigations have demonstrated the effectiveness of tape to support anatomical structures during basketball thus reducing the injury rate among elite and recreational athletes. Sport medicine professionals should be knowledgeable and skilled with the use of these techniques to prevent and rehabilitate injuries as a means to enhance participation and improve performance.
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