The most common basketball injury is the ankle sprain. This injury often occurs when a player lands on another player’s foot or the ankle rolls inward (inversion) during a pivot motion, stretching and tearing ligaments (partially or completely).

Laser therapy is also a very effective modality to help reduce swelling and pain, and to accelerate recovery time. Laser light triggers ATP production to accelerate the repair of damaged cells and growth of healthy new cells, including those that make up cartilage (chondrocytes), bone (osteocytes), and connective tissue (fibroblasts). The sooner you can apply laser therapy to an ankle sprain, the quicker the recovery will be.

Knee injuries are some of the most serious basketball related injuries. Knee sprains, meniscus tears and ACL tears occur often. To help the injuries heal, immobilization is often a first go-to option for treatment.

After rest, progression to stretching and strengthening exercises is typical if surgery is not indicated.

In addition to rest and strengthening exercises, decreasing inflammation helps further the recovery process. Laser light fights excess inflammation by increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokines that bring chronic inflammation to an end. They lower the number of neutrophil cells that can contribute to chronic inflammation, and they increase the number of macrophage cells in the immune system, helping to remove damaged cells.

Relentless practice and a demanding competitive game schedule can lead to overuse injuries. The constant start, stop, pivot, acceleration and deceleration motions can put strain on joints and soft tissue.

One common overuse injury is patellar tendinitis, or “jumper’s knee,” which is characterised by pain in the tendon just below the kneecap. Achilles tendinitis is another common overuse injury, causing pain in the back of the leg and foot that can often take a player out of competition for extended periods of time. Laser therapy is a great option for treating injuries such as this because it preferentially affects damaged cells, or cells that are struggling to function and need cellular energy the most. Cells that have a limited blood supply and lack of oxygen due to poor circulation are more sensitive to near-infrared laser light than are well-functioning cells.