Incidence and Localization of Knee Pain and Injuries in Basketball Players

Background. The primary aim of the study was to determine the incidence and localization of knee pain and injuries in basketball players. Objectives. Through partial objectives, this study aimed to determine the differences between the participants based on their player position and chronological age and to determine the basic metric characteristics of the questionnaire. Methods. The sample of participants included 57 male basketball players in the senior age category. The mean chronological age of players was 21.6 years. A newly-constructed questionnaire was applied, which was filled out anonymously. The questionnaire was adapted for basketball and has very good metric characteristics, which allows quality measurement of the incidence of knee pain, and consequently of knee injuries in basketball players. Results. It was determined that 66.67% of basketball players feel pain on the front side of the knee, 12.28% on the side, and 21.05% do not feel pain in the knee. Players who play at the center position have never experienced a knee injury, whereas players at the power forward position reported the highest percentage of injury, i.e., 71.43%, shooting guards reported 33.33%, small forwards 14.29%, and point guards, 12.50%. There was no statistically significant difference between the participants according to chronological age. Conclusion. The applied questionnaire represents a good measuring instrument for assessing knee pain in basketball.