Introduction:

basketball is a popular sport among preadolescent girls, although little is known about the incidence of injuries associated with the practice of the sport in this population. The aim of our study was to contribute information on the pattern of injury found in preadolescent girls who play federated basketball in Spain.

Materials and methods:

during the Spanish Girls' Basketball Championship of 2014, we collected data on certain individual sports-related characteristics of the players and the clubs, as well as on training characteristics and injury patterns, through personal interviews with coaches and administration of a questionnaire to the players.

Results:

we collected data for 348 female players. Injuries in the past season were reported by 73.8%, most incurred during practice. Sprains were the most frequent type of injury, and the lower extremities the most frequent site; injury recurrence occurred in 30%. The rate of injury was 5.85 injuries per 1000 hours of play, and the court's surface was the sole factor significantly associated with the risk of injury. The time losses due to injuries amounted to 2.54 ± 0.97 days, and 25% of players reported missing school activities.

Conclusions:

the practice of basketball in girls aged 12 and 13 years carries a risk of injury that cannot be ignored, due to both the number of recorded injuries and to their potential impact on academic performance.

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