Millions of players participate at all skill levels and age groups. Basketball is sometimes referred to as a non-contact sport, but participants at competitive levels know that is simply not true. However, injuries can occur from collisions between players, as well as from non-contact twisting movements. In basketball, as in other sports, the knee is the most commonly injured joint. Knee injuries that involve ligaments are usually the most serious.
Ligaments are bands or sheets of fibrous tissue that connect bone to bone.
This ligament connects the tibia to the femur within the knee joint and prevents excessive forward movement of the lower leg in relation to the thigh. Most people think this injury occurs from a direct blow to the knee. Instead, ACL tears are usually caused by non-contact twisting injury. The plant and cut is a sudden deceleration with a twisting motion. The straight knee landing is coming down from a jump with the knee fully extended, which can lead to hyperextension.