One of the major things that makes basketball such a dynamic, difficult, and exciting sport is that every position has responsibilities both on offense and defense. All basketball players constantly use their hands and arms and their upper bodies are under intense forces during games and practice, meaning shoulder injuries are a consistent risk.
You can hurt your shoulder from overuse after a lot of shooting, passing, or rebounding, and you can also be injured in this area due to hard upper body contact in a contested layup, a steal, or getting fouled. If your shoulder is hurt, you not only will lose out on playing time, your daily activities will likely become difficult as well, simply because of how many things we use this crucial joint for. This means that if you play basketball at any level, upper body injury prevention should be a priority. It not only ensures better performance on the court, but is also the best choice for your long-term shoulder health.
At JAG Physical Therapy, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania’s top name in multispecialty PT, we’re just as passionate about keeping your joints healthy as you are about your sport of choice. We offer not only injury prevention and performance rehabilitation for athletes, but also highly effective athletic training services for teams. Book an appointment with us now or read below on the best ways to avoid and recover from basketball-related shoulder issues.
What Are the Most Common Shoulder Injuries in Basketball?
On the basketball court, an overextension, a fall onto your shoulder, or another accident could result in a number of different specific kinds of injury. Since the shoulder joint is composed of three uniquely shaped bones (the clavicle, the humerus, and the scapula) and a host of muscles, ligaments, and tendons, hurting your shoulder can feel different and impede the use of your arm differently depending on the situation. The scapula, or shoulder blade, itself is not usually prone to injury. However, the muscles of the rotator cuff, the clavicle (collarbone), and the connective tissue of the shoulder could all easily be injured when subjected to an impact. Moreover, a number of painful and debilitating injuries, such as dislocations, can affect the joint as a whole.
The four muscles of the rotator cuff and their tendons are responsible for much of the shoulder’s range of motion. Because they move the joint in so many different directions, it’s relatively easy for the rotator cuff’s components to overstretch and tear, making this the most common shoulder injury overall. Also affecting the rotator cuff is shoulder impingement syndrome, a form of tendonitis leading to long-term weakness and irritating and painful grinding feelings in the joint.
Another part of the shoulder joint that can be torn by a forceful overhead motion is the glenoid labrum, a triangular piece of fibrocartilaginous tissue that helps keep the humerus in its shallow socket. This injury is referred to as a SLAP tear and can cause a throbbing ache that disrupts sleep as well as catching sensations during movement.
All of these many kinds of injuries could keep you on the bench and impact your performance in-game in the long term even after healing. With that in mind, prevention should be something you actively seek out for both your athletic pursuits and your day-to-day life.
How Can Strength Training Help Prevent Shoulder Injuries?
In basketball, well-developed muscles aren’t just good for dominating in the post or making a long-range shot. They also shield more sensitive parts of your joints from impact, absorbing more force from collisions so that there is less risk of injury. While the importance of working your rotator cuff muscles and deltoids is obvious, consider that your shoulders are subject to force from a huge number of angles. This means that your core and upper back muscles are also key to the goal of basketball shoulder injury prevention, even though they are not actually in the shoulder joint itself.
The most crucial piece of equipment when you are exercising for upper body strengthening for basketball is a resistance band, because you can activate the muscles in any direction while using one. External rotations, two-handed pull-aparts, and rows with resistance bands are ideal exercises for basketball players, and can be very challenging at higher levels of resistance. You should also perform shoulder blade squeezes to work the rhomboids and trapezius muscles and reduce tension, dumbbell lateral raises for deltoid strength and rotator cuff solidity, and overhead stability exercises.
What Are the Best Warm-Up and Mobility Drills for Shoulder Health?
As you warm up for a game or practice, most of your time will be spent stretching, but not all stretches are going to have the same effect. Dynamic upper body stretches and mobility drills before you play basketball will help your muscles adjust to the rigors of real on-court exertion, slowly working up to the quick and powerful motions you need in order to move the ball, shoot at both close and three-point range, and make decisive plays.
For example, making wall angels is a classic form of dynamic stretching that is particularly effective for scapular mobility. Simple arm circles and shoulder rolls prepare you to wind up and follow through for shooting the basketball. Cross-body shoulder stretches and resistance band range-of-motion exercises assist the joint overall. Combining these different stretches before every game will mitigate your injury chances in both the short and long term.
When Should a Basketball Player See a Physical Therapist for Shoulder Pain?
As an athlete, being benched for an injury never feels good, so it’s usually tempting to push through the pain and show your toughness by continuing to play. However, there are some situations where you should absolutely stop and seek professional evaluation. First among these is shoulder pain that gets worse with time or activity. You also should watch out for limited range of motion, stiffness that is more severe than usual, and a feeling of weakness during shots, passes, or lifting objects. Finally, if you have a history of shoulder injuries, getting your shoulder joint hurt will compound the problem and further increase your future injury risk.
If you have any of these symptoms, a physical therapist can employ modalities including manual therapy, orthopedic rehabilitation methods, and shoulder-specific techniques in order to get you back to optimal upper body health. Having the right PT program means more complete rehabilitation and returning to playing sport faster.
Stay in the Game—Protect Your Shoulders with JAG Physical Therapy
Your shoulders help you with most of the moves and skills you need to be a successful basketball player, so protect these crucial joints by turning to the shoulder PT experts. The team at JAG Physical Therapy will analyze your form and identify any shortening, weakness, or other problems with your shoulder muscles. Then you’ll receive a custom exercise plan for injury prevention and increasing on-court performance. Find your nearest JAG PT location now or book an appointment to make sure your shoulders stay healthy throughout this basketball season.
