Injury Risk Heightened For NBA Season
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – As the Miami Heat try to squeeze in as much work as possible after months away from the game; the specter of injury is looming large over the entire NBA.
The NBA players may not have to look far to see the injury fallout left by a protracted lockout. According to an Ohio State University study, injuries to the Achilles tendon have quadrupled for NFL players compared to non-lockout years.
"Extrapolate what we've seen in the NFL, and I could see in the NBA in the range of 2, 3, 4 times higher rates of injury," said Timothy Hewett, PhD, Director of Research at the Ohio State University Medical Center's Sports Medicine Department.
The NBA lockout reached nearly 150 days over the summer which prevented the players from having any access to the team doctors or training staff.
Thus, Hewett believes that if the teams don't properly prepare their players, serious injury is risked.
An injury to the Achilles tendon can take upwards of a year; while knee injuries, like an ACL tear, can take 8-12 months.
The Heat has already seen one player, Eddy Curry, miss multiple practices with a hip flexor injury. But, Curry has an injury-riddled past and has not been expected to make a big contribution if he makes the team.
