The National Basketball Association (NBA) is among most prestigious national league competitions in the world. Basketball athletes spend most of their time dreaming of playing for the NBA. In the recent past, cases of Achilles' tears have dimmed the dream of some of the athletes on the league to shine and make a name for themselves in the league. Achilles tears an injury affecting the lack of the lower leg (Lemme et al. 11). It is usually common in people that play recreational sports. However, cases of Achilles' tears have been reported even among non-sporting people. It is one of the worst injuries that a basketball player can sustain because it takes a long time to heal. The average time for healing is estimated to be 240 days, which is more than a year. While the league has reported cases of Achilles' tears throughout its existence, the recent past has seen an increase in these cases. The recent one being that of the Golden State Warrior's superstar, Kevin Durant, who was carried from the court after sustaining an injury. Understanding the possible causes of increased Achilles tears can help the players and team management to reduce the impact of the trauma on the players and the team.
Achilles' tears among the NBA players are common in African American players between the ages of 20-39 years. As this population makes the majority of the players, the fact that tendon tears are high among them could be commensurate with the increase in reported cases (Yang et al. 4). The proportion of African American players in the NBA has been increasing, and the rise in Achilles tears is a correlation of this increasing proportion of African American players. According to Trofa et al. (12), the significant causes for Achilles' tears include increased intensity of participation in sports that require a lot of jumping, falling from a higher position, and stepping into a sunken ground. These are typical causes of tendon tears among basketball players are they are engaged in all these activities. However, comparison of the rate of injuries in NBA with other leagues like National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball shows that NBA players are disproportionately exposed to Achilles tears than the rest of the athletes in various leagues (Drakos et al. 285). One hypothesis of the disproportionate cases of injuries that NBA players are pushed into a more intense player that requires them to jump, fall, or step in a sunken ground more often than players in other leagues.
While it is a known factor that NBA players are involved in intense pre-game practices, Drakos et al. 286) observe that pre-game activity are some of the risk factors contributing to the increase in tendon tears among NBA players. More NBA players are exposed to risk factors such as a history of injuries during pre-game or pre-season activities that make them more susceptible to tendon injuries during play. The shoes that NBA players are also wearing increase their exposure. In one study, players with shoes that exposed their heels to air were five times more likely to experience tendon terror than those that did not use boots with air cells (McCarthy et al. 4). In essence, the use of some sports equipment could be a contributing factor to the increased cases of tendon tears among the NBA players. It is a known fact that the league is lucrative, especially to sports equipment manufacturers who, in the quest to outdo their competitors, are coming up with all manner of innovative products for players.
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Furthermore, Achilles' tear is mostly preceded by a condition called tendonitis (McCarthy et al. 5). Conditions like poor-fitting footwear, increased activity, reduced flexibility, and excessive pronation cause tendonitis. These conditions are common among NBA players. Players are exposed to increased practice activities in the field. They are also always wearing a form of footwear most of the time. Some of this footwear may not be fitting well and therefore contribute to the development of unnoticed tendonitis, which suddenly develops into Achilles tear. Pre-game behaviors like a lack of stretching before a game also exposed players to injury risks and hence contribute to the increased cases of Achilles tears among the NBA players.
Similarly, a study by Lorimer and Hume (10) identified a multifactorial cause for the increasing cases of tendon injuries among the players. These factors are both recognized as extrinsic and intrinsic forces around the player. For example, there is a direct correlation between age and Achilles injuries. As the average age of NBA players has increased, likely, the number of tendon tears reported in a season is also going to increase. More aged players, between 30-39 years, are more exposed to tendon injuries than young players (Lorimer and Hume 15). The increase in the modal age means that the more NBA players are exposed to tendon injury now than in the past. Besides age, Ito et al. (4) observed in their study that the other contributing factor to the recent increase in Achilles tears is the sex of the players. More players in the NBA (male players) experience tendon injuries than players in WNBA (women players) (Ito et al. 2). The issue of increasing the average weight of players could also be a contributing factor to the increased Achilles tears among the NBA players. Pathological studies of tendon tears have revealed a positive correlation between weight and probability of experiencing a tendon tear for NBA players. External factors that could be contributing to the increase are the use of corticosteroids and fluoroquinolones, which have been found to contribute to the weakening of the Achilles (Vanderlei et al. 5). Players who use these elements, either as intrasubstance or oral, have been found to have a higher rate of experiencing an increased risk of tendon rupture and associated tendinitis. The risk of experiencing the Achilles tear while using these drugs is increasing with the increase in age (Vanderlei et al. 6). It, therefore, implies that older NBA players could be using corticosteroids and fluoroquinolones at a higher rate than their counterpart young players.
Trofa et al. (14) observed that Achilles' tears were also associated with the underlying untreated diseases or conditions among the players. Most players that have experienced tendon tears in the NBA have been found with conditions such as hypertension and exposure to steroids. Trofa et al. (14) noted in their study that exposure to steroids and certain antibiotics provided the state for the weakening of the tendons, which ultimately results in Achilles' tear during the intense activity of jumping and falling. Obesity is also a common observation among the players with a higher risk of tendon injuries. People who spent most of their time wearing tight shoes and over-train are also exposed to the risk of tendon ruptures (Egger and Berkowitz 74). This is a common feature among the NBA players who are required to spend most of their time on training pitches. Despite all the identified factors, the increase in Achilles' tears among the players in the NBA league could be a factor of perception. NBA is the most popular basketball league in the world, and media focus is high compared to other leagues. Because of the intense media focus, more cases of Achilles-related injuries are reported more than in the past (Lorimer and Hume 11). It, therefore, could be that the intense media reporting has created the perception that tendon injuries are on the increase among the players in the NBA.
Conclusion
The number of cases of Achilles' tears among NBA players has increased in the recent past. Many factors are contributing to this increase. Among these factors is the increase in physical activities of players both on-field and in practice. A specific change to the training schedule could add to the increased exposure to Achilles' tears among the player. Also, the games in the NBA are now more competitive requiring players to jump more and fall more often. NBA players might also be engaging, with higher intensity, on explosive movements, overstretching during play, using poor-fitting shoes, and spending more time in training. Further, the increase in average weight and the average age of players is also a contributing factor to the increased cases of tendon ruptures among the NBA players. There is also the possibility of underlying conditions such as hypertension and the use of steroids and antibiotics, which could be contributing to the increased cases of Achilles tears among the players in the league.
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