Background: Gender-based differences in injury rates have been reported in scholastic and collegiate basketball. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare injury rates in women`s and men`s professional basketball. Hypothesis: Female professional basketball players are injured at a higher rate than are men. Study Design: Cohort study (prevalence); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Women`s National Basketball Association and National Basketball Association injury data were retrospectively reviewed for 6 full seasons. The frequency of all injuries and the rate of game-related injuries were calculated. Results: Complete player profiles were obtained on 702 National Basketball Association athletes and 443 Women`s National Basketball Association athletes who competed in their respective leagues during the data collection period. Total game exposures totaled 70 420 (National Basketball Association) and 22 980 (Women`s National Basketball Association). Women`s National Basketball Association athletes had a higher overall game-related injury rate (24.9 per 1000 athlete exposures; 95% confidence interval, 22.9-26.9; P < .05) when compared with National Basketball Association athletes (19.3 per 1000 athlete exposures; 95% confidence interval, 18.3-20.4) and sustained a higher rate of lower extremity injuries (14.6 per 1000 athlete exposures; 95% confidence interval, 13.1-16.2; P < .05) than seen in the National Basketball Association (11.6 per 1000 athlete exposures; 95% confidence interval, 10.8-12.4). The lower extremity was the most commonly injured body area (65%), and lateral ankle sprain (13.7%) was the most common diagnosis in both leagues. The incidence of game-related knee injury was higher in Women`s National Basketball Association players. The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury in the National Basketball Association (n = 22, 0.8%) and Women`s National Basketball Association (n = 14, 0.9%) accounted for 0.8% of the 4446 injuries reported. Conclusion: The lower extremity is the most frequently injured body area in both leagues, and Women`s National Basketball Association athletes are more susceptible than are National Basketball Association athletes. There were, however, few statistical differences in the actual injuries occurring between the 2 leagues
© Copyright 2006 The American Journal of Sports Medicine. SAGE Publications. Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään. / Kääntänyt https://www.DeepL.com/Translator