Injuries in Japanese high school basketball players during games and practices

Problem Statement: Although the second largest population of high school athletes in Japan play basketball, prospective studies of injuries in high school basketball are limited. In junior sports, the same sports are played year-round in Japan. Therefore, it is critical to clarify the actual status of injuries in Japanese high school basketball players, who play the same sports throughout the year, to consider measures to prevent injuries of junior athletes. Purpose: This study aimed to prospectively examine the incidence, sites, types, and situations of injuries in Japanese high school basketball players during games and practices during the 2016-17 season. Approach: A total of 137 players (boys: 78, girls: 59) belonging to the Hyogo Prefectural High School Basketball Federation participated in this study. Data on all game and practice injuries for the one season were collected using an injury report sheet. Injury rates (IRs) were calculated by sex, injury site, injury type, and injury situations. Results: The overall IRs for boys and girls were 4.90/1000 athlete-hours and 2.12/1000 athletehours, respectively. The game IRs for boys and girls were 13.73/1000 athlete-hours and 5.94/1000 athlete-hours, respectively. The practice IRs for boys and girls were 3.81/1000 athlete-hours and 1.70/1000 athlete-hours, respectively. The game IRs were significantly higher than the practice IRs for both boys and girls (p