Prevalence and Burden of Physical Problems in Female College Basketball Athletes: A 135-Day Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the prevalence and burden of "any physical complaint" in college female basketball athletes using a daily questionnaire. Methods Fifty-four female college basketball players were recruited and followed up for 135 days using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre questionnaire. Results The questionnaire response rate was 96.4% (95% confidence interval: 95.7-97.1). The average daily prevalence of any problem was 44.4%, whereas that of substantial problems was 16.0%. The anatomical areas found to be most frequently affected by physical problems were the ankle (average daily prevalence: 14.5%, 95% confidence interval: 13.4-15.7), lower back (14.4%, 95% confidence interval: 13.7-15.2), and knee (9.6%, 95% confidence interval: 9.0-10.2). The cumulative severity score, calculated by summing severity scores and dividing by number of respondents, showed that ankle, knee, and lower back problems exhibited greater relative burden. Discussion Injuries common in basketball athletes, such as ankle sprain, anterior cruciate ligament injury, overuse knee pain, and low-back pain, are reflected in the present data.