Upper body injuries and Key Performance Indicators in professional basketball players

ntroduction: Upper body injuries are less common than lower body injuries in basketball, but there is still a lack of knowled-ge about the relationship among their occurrence and the performance profile of professional basketball players. This study aimed to analyse the relationships between upper-body injuries and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of basketball players. Material and method: Statistical variables of 554 professional basketball players (age: 26.97±4.86 years, height: 199.23±8.80 cm, minutes per season: 441.18±301.41) in Spanish ACB (Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto) professional competition were analysed for two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14). Besided, injury reports were registered and injuries were categorized with OSICS-10 classification. The players who played the most minutes during the season were more likely to suffer lumbar spine, head, wrist, and hand injuries. The players injured in the thoracic spine obtained a better average in steals per minute. The players injured in the head or the elbow had better +/- performance per minute. The players injured in the neck had better means per minute in received fouls, free throws made and attempted. Results: The players injured in the lumbar spine had better means, per minute played, in assists, probably by their continuous column twists to protect the ball with the body to avoid bumps. Players injured in the shoulder had more blocked shots per minute than those not injured, probably because the realization of a block involves a shoulder flexion and rotation. It would be interesting to carry out a specific follow-up in this type of player, for this type of injury. This information could be helpful to improve injury prevention with the use of KPIs of basketball.