Bird, Stephen P., and Markwick, William J. (2016) Musculoskeletal screening and functional testing: considerations for basketball athletes. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 11 (5). pp. 784-802.

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Abstract

Basketball is one of the top five participation sports for youth athletes in Australia with participation rates on the rise. With increased participation, there is a need for increasing awareness of the importance of the pre-participation examination, including musculoskeletal screening and functional testing as part of a multidisciplinary approach in preventing future injuries. Pre-participation musculoskeletal screening of youth basketball players should assess fundamental movement qualities throughout the kinetic chain with an emphasis on lower-extremity force interplay characteristics, specifically eccentric loading (i.e., such as jump tasks). A simplified basketball-specific musculoskeletal screen may include assessments such as the Functional Hop Test Combination, Landing Error Scoring System, 10-sec Tuck Jump Assessment, Weight-Bearing Lunge Test and the Star Excursion Balance Test, which place the athlete in positions where weaknesses and imbalances become noticeable if stability and mobility are limited. This will allow easy identification of inefficient and/or compensatory movement tendencies. A basic understanding of musculoskeletal deficits including bilateral strength imbalances, flexibility imbalances, lower crossed syndrome and dominance-related factor are key components in determination of injury risk. Youth athletes should incorporate neuromuscular training (balance and postural stability) as part of their movement preparation to enhance movement competency while minimizing likelihood of injury. Youth athletes represent a unique population and should undergo pre-participation musculoskeletal screening for identification of movement limitations. Such an approach to injury prevention is complemented by implementation of a neuromuscular training program that may decrease the injury risk and improve the safety and satisfaction in sports.

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