Hand and Wrist Injuries in Men’s and Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball

BACKGROUND: Hand and wrist injuries (HWIs) are common in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball players and can negatively affect performance. There is limited literature available on this topic. PURPOSE: To open a discussion on prevention strategies and encourage future research on HWIs in basketball athletes. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: HWIs sustained by male and female NCAA basketball players during the 2009-2010 through 2013-2014 academic years and reported to the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (NCAA-ISP) database were utilized to characterize the epidemiology thereof. Rates and distributions of HWIs were identified within the context of mechanism of injury, injury recurrence, and time lost from sport. RESULTS: Over the 5-year period, 81 HWIs in women and 171 HWIs in men were identified through the NCAA-ISP database. These were used to estimate 3515 HWIs nationally in women’s basketball athletes and 7574 HWIs nationally in men’s basketball athletes. The rate of HWIs in women was 4.20 per 10,000 athlete-exposures (AEs) and in men was 7.76 per 10,000 AEs, making men 1.85 times more likely to sustain HWIs compared with women. In men, HWIs were 3.31 times more likely to occur in competition compared with practice, while in women, HWIs were 2.40 times more likely to occur in competition than in practice. Based on position, guards, both men and women, were the most likely to suffer HWIs. CONCLUSION: HWIs were common in collegiate basketball players. Most injuries were new, and the majority of players were restricted from participation for less than 24 hours. Men were more likely to be injured compared with women, and injuries were most common in the setting of competition for both sexes. The majority of injuries was considered minor and did not extensively limit participation; however, prevention and detection remain important for optimal performance.