The most common injuries in badminton
Badminton has the most overhead strokes out of all the racket sports – over 30%. For this reason, to minimize injuries, it is important to build strength, mobility and stability in the shoulders.
Badminton players need to be able to move in all directions and change directions quickly, smoothly and efficiently. Sudden starts and stops wear out the body, and demand a lot of strength and motor skills for acceleration, deceleration and then immediate acceleration. The player needs to be in control of their ankles, knees, hips, back and shoulders, all at the same time. The structures of the shoulder are also vulnerable to overuse injury, particularly the tendons. Younger badminton players also struggle with injuries and pain in their knees, hips, shins and feet. Achilles tendon ruptures are also fairly common within this sport, especially among older players.
Common injuries
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Jumper's knee
- Collateral ligament injuries
- Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints)
- Ankle sprain
- Thrower's shoulder
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendon rupture
- Back pain