A study by researchers at the University of Calgary Sports Medicine Center also found the risk of injury varies according to a player's position and where the injury occurs on the basketball court. Injuries most often occur in the key and are most commonly suffered by centers. Their research appears in the May-June issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers examined data from two seasons of play by eight Canadian teams with 318 athletes. During those two years, there were 215 injuries suffered by 142 players. The average time lost per injury was 7.02 games or practices.

Player-to-player collisions accounted for 79.8 percent of contact injuries and 34.9 percent of all injuries. The majority of injuries occurred within the 3-point line. The researchers suggest that's because of the high player concentration in that area of the court during games.

Centers had a much higher rate of contact and non-contact injuries than forwards or guards. Regardless of their position, players who suffered knee, elbow, shoulder, hand and lower spine/pelvis injuries were at significant risk of repeat injuries to those regions, the study found.

Ankle sprains were the most common injury recorded over the two-year study, followed by concussions. The knee was the most problematic body region in terms of injury frequency, associated time loss, and risk of re-injury.

The authors suggest this research could provide the basis for future studies on injury prevention in basketball.

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