What Basketball Players Need to Know About Sports Hernias

basketball-sports-herniaBasketball season is in full swing now and will continue through April. Athletes ranging from professionals to weekend pick up game types are hitting the courts. Typical jammed fingers, rolled ankles and bruises from an opponent’s elbow aside, basketball players are prime candidates for experiencing inguinal disruptions, otherwise known as Sports Hernias.

Basketball players are susceptible to Sports Hernias whether or not they are in optimal physical shape. Of course, the stronger the core muscles, the less chance you have of being sidelined due to injury, but they still occur.

Why basketball players are at risk of Sports Hernias

Basketball players can develop a Sports Hernia because this injury is caused by repetitive twisting and turning at high speed. Dribbling down court. Stopping. Turning directions quickly. Twisting core muscles to fake or make a pass. All these quick movements and turns put stress and strain on your muscles and ligaments in the lower trunk area.

So is it an ordinary hernia or is it a Sports Hernia? An ordinary hernia occurs when soft tissue protrudes through a weakened area the abdominal muscles, resulting in a palpable bulge that can be painful to the touch or when those muscles are used.

On the other hand, an inguinal disruption (Sports Hernia) is actually a tear of any soft tissue such as a muscle, tendon or ligament in the lower abdomen or groin area.  The athlete notices weakness and pain when she/he tries to exercise.

Common Sports Hernia signs & symptoms

Without a visible or palpable bulge, Sports Hernias are very difficult to diagnose and often are wrote off as a sprain. Ice and rest can alleviate the pain, but symptoms return once the basketball player returns to the court. An MRI reviewed by an experienced Sports Hernia specialist helps accurately diagnose a Sports Hernia, which can be repaired successfully with surgery.

Contact a Sports Hernia specialist

Experiencing pain in your groin or thigh? Pain that subsides with rest and returns when you play basketball or another sport again? Pain that keeps you from fully participating or playing, period? You might have a Sports Hernia.

Consult with a Sports Hernia specialist, like Dr. Brown, who can accurately diagnose the condition, repair it and get you moving into the recovery process. Sports Hernias do not repair themselves, so the sooner you seek a diagnosis, the sooner you’ll be back to basketball.