Tyler Hansbrough is arguably the number one college basketball player in the world. He plays for the University of North Carolina, which is ranked number one in the nation. Tyler is experiencing a "shin stress reaction". I use the magic air quotes due to the fact shin stress reaction is a new term to me.

It shouldn't be, though, it's the pretty much the same as shin splints. 

A shin is actually your tibia bone. When you injure this area of your body it's referred to as a medial tibial stress syndrome. Medial means middle.

Larry Hughes holds a special place in my memories. He played at St. Louis Univeristy and brought the team closer to a national championship than they had been in a while. Larry has had an up and down pro career, bouncing among various teams. He's found a home with the Chicago Bulls, but trouble has come.

Larry Hughes dislocated his shoulder in a game against the Timberwolves. The prognosis isn't good Larry and the team is saying he's going to miss six weeks. Seriously?

Tyson Chandler is the a big part of the future of the New Orleans Hornets, so it's disappointing he'd leave a game due to a sprained ankle. It does sound like it's not too bad:

I'm fine. I just stayed out as a precaution.

We've covered how to treat sprained ankles in the past, so I thought we'd talk about a few ways to prevent sprained ankles. If you avoid the injury then you don't have to deal with it. 

Corey Brewer is a professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. To say the start of his career has been a tough one would be an understatement. Although he was a fabulous college player, his pro performance to date is limited. Coming in as a first round draft pick he proceeded to put the dismal stats of 5.8 points per game and 37% shooting percentage.His performance has led folks to question whether Brewer is made for the NBA or not. 

A recent story eluded to the fact that Brewer lost his confidence, his ego during his rookie year. In the article Corey says:

I think this is a first for us. We have a second entry for an injured player, Steve Francis. We covered his original injury in 2005 when he had bruised ribs. I look back at the entry now and chuckle. In the 2.5 years since we've covered so many more things. Starting 2008 with a new Steve Francis injury seems appropriate.

Yes, Steve Franics is out with quadricep tendinitis, and yes, I know this is the second entry in a row on quadriceps injuries. Who knew there would be such a rush of quads injuries at the end of the year?

I don't think I've gotten into the WNBA. With a limited amount of time, and other sports to watch, I think I've seen maybe part of one or two WNBA games. Still, these women are professional athletes, and their injuries hurt just as much.

For instance, DeMya Walker of the Sacramento Monarchs is out for the season following a patellar tendon tear. This is nasty injury, and one that sidelines many basketball players. The report indicates she suffered from a sprain in her right knee prior to this. I am not sure if they are related, but it's not too much to think they are.

Tracy McGrady is in the top ten basketball players on the planet, but he's been humbled lately due to a back strain. While some in the media are questioning whether Tracy McGrady is washed up, a back strain is a tough mess to clean up.

Your back provides the framework for the rest of your skeleton and cannot be underestimated in importance. Everything from standing to walking to laying down are affected by your back. This doesn't even begin to address how important the back is in basketball. Even a minor disruption of your back's physiological function will hurt your performance.

 

Kayla Burt is a college basketball player for the University of Washington. Scratch that. Kayla Burt was a player on the University of Washington women's basketball team. Kayla has left the game due to continuing issues surrounding Long QT syndrome. Kayla's implanted heart defibrillator went off twice Thursday, January 12, 2006 in a game against the UCLA Bruins.

Her implant went into action as she experienced ventricular tachycardia, which is a very rapid beating of the heart. The heart beats so rapidly that it cannot pump blood into the body.

Yao Ming is hobbled by an infected toe. The 7 foot 5 inch NBA all star has an infected big toe. It's amazing that the toes can have that much of an effect on a person, but it's true. The big toe is critical for walking, and more importantly for Yao, running.

Yao Ming doesn't have your run of the mill toe infection, but an infection called osteomyelitis. It's a nasty infection that is usually introduced somewhere else in the body, but ends up attacking bones.

What are the symptoms of osteomyelitis - toe infection?

Steve Fancis, the electric guard for the Orlando Magic, was involved in a car accident at the end of November. He suffered various injuries, but the most painful was bruised ribs. In his line of work you have to be able to move agilely without pain. Bruised ribs prevents this movement.

What are ribs? The human ribs collectively form the rib cage. The purpose of ribs is to surround the heart and lungs to provide protections. Ribs are bones and humans have 24 of them.