Sports injury in Australia

An estimated 996,000 Australians aged 15 and over played basketball in 2021–22 (ASC, 2022). There were 2,400 injury hospitalisations attributed to basketball – 2,000 males and 400 females. For those aged 15 and over, the rate of hospitalisation was about 165 per 100,000 participants.

After an increase in 2020–21, basketball injury hospitalisations in 2021–22 continued increasing for males, but decreasing for females back to 2019–20 levels (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trend in basketball injury hospitalisations, by sex, 2012–13 to 2021–22

For more detail, see data tables B1–2.

The highest number of basketball injury hospitalisations were in the 10–14 and 15–19 age groups (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Age distribution of basketball injury hospitalisations, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A14.

More than half of the hospitalisations were fractures (55%), and over a quarter were soft-tissue injuries (26%) (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Top 5 injury hospitalisations from basketball, by type of injury as a proportion, 2021–22

Note: Type of injury is derived from the principal diagnosis.
Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A25.

There were 85 hospitalisations for concussion – 60 males and 25 females.

The main injury was most often to the leg or hip (35%), followed by the hand or wrist (22%) (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Basketball injury hospitalisations, by body part injured, as a proportion, 2021–22

'Notes
1. Body part injured is derived from the principal diagnosis.
2. ‘Trunk’ includes thorax, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine & pelvis.

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A26.

Where it was specified, the most common cause of injury was ‘falls from or involving an object’ (20%), followed by overexertion (17%) (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Cause of injury as a proportion when specified, basketball injury hospitalisations, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A27.