Core Training Helps Female Basketball Players

by

Thomas F. Murray, M.D.

This article originally appeared in the American Journal, appearing February 15h, 2006

It's tourney time. Whether it's the NCAA's "March Madness" or long-time high school rivalries, the excitement of basketball is everywhere.

For months, players have logged endless hours of practice, traveled hundreds (or thousands) of miles and competed in dozens of games.

Now, the fun starts. 

Unfortunately, by now, the season has taken its toll on many athletes. Ironically, just when they're expected to perform at their best, at this time of the year an athlete's body can be at its worst. Bumps, bruises, twists and sprains are often part of the game.

Like many sports, the speed and intensity of basketball continues to increase. By the sheer nature of the competition, basketball-related injuries are sometimes unavoidable.

A game played on a hard, sticky floor in a small area with many people running, cutting, pivoting and ultimately stepping on each other creates a "perfect storm" for banging knees or turning ankles.

Recently there's been research published stating that female athletes are at a greater risk of injury – specifically anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee tears – than male athletes by a ratio of 6-to-1.

The research found that there are characteristics of a woman's body that can lend itself to an increased risk of injury in sports. For example, strength ratios of upper and lower leg muscles are often unbalanced. Plus, there are also body alignment and growth factors that can contribute to the risk.

Because of these factors, it is critical for women athletes to continue their aerobic conditioning while also developing their core strength throughout the entire season.

It's how you play the game

In general, women have a tendency to land harder than men when jumping. Women also have a tendency to participate in sports in more of an upright stance. This contributes to weakness of the back, abdominals and hip muscles. If this is not addressed at an early age, it can develop into a habit that is harder to break. 

What can be surprising is that a weakness in this core area can often create problems elsewhere in the body. Having problems with your ankles? Maybe your hips are to blame.

The adaptive nature of the human body often shifts away from weak muscles systems and puts an increased burden on other parts of the body. 

For this reason it's important that athletes learn how to shock absorb through their entire body. In order to accomplish this, takeoff and landing positions should be similar when jumping. 

The knees should be flexed greater than 40° and should not be past the front of the toes, the hips should be centered over the heels and the chest should be over the knees. 

It's also more effective to perform jumping exercises with hands behind the back to isolate the lower extremities and concentrate on mechanics.

Finding balance

To increase ankle stability and strength, incorporate an unstable platform, such as a wobble board, into your exercise routine. This not only develops the muscle and tendons around your ankles and knees, it can also help increase your balance.

Although your parents may not agree, running in place on a mattress can also achieve similar results.

To improve your ability to avoid collisions with other players, improve your proprioception -- or your ability to sense the location, orientation and movement of parts of your body. Try balancing on one foot, or performing other simple tasks with your eyes closed.

The foundation for developing good habits and long-term success evolves from learning the right mechanics. If you think you are developing a bad habit or can't seem to get to the next level of play, do some research or ask for help on your mechanics.

Most importantly, if something doesn't feel right, get it checked out right away. Often, catching and remedying a minor tweak can prevent a more serious, long-term injury from developing.

 

Dr. Thomas Murray practices sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery at Orthopedic Associates of Portland. He has published and lectured nationally and internationally instructing other surgeons on complex knee and shoulder procedures. Dr. Murray has served as an orthopedic sports medicine consultant for the Maine Medical Center Sports Medicine Fellowship Program, the University of Southern Maine, and Cape Elizabeth and South Portland high schools. He is president of the Maine Society of