At the Classic Turf Co blog, we write a lot about the artificial turfs we install, including basketball and tennis courts, but we also feel it’s important to report on the worlds of basketball and tennis, the trends that are shaping the players involved, because if we don’t know the trends, how can we effectively install and implement our courts? So much of our courts are dependent on the health of basketball and tennis players. If a certain health issue pops up that will change the way the game is played, we absolutely must change the way are courts are built and installed. In a recent study, it seems that basketball players are at higher risk of dangerous blood clots, according to Reuters.
Janice Neumann writes, “Basketball players could be at heightened risk for dangerous blood clots that travel to the lungs. But the results – calculated from only six cases of so-called pulmonary embolism in U.S. and European players – need to be replicated in larger studies, the authors caution. They said, “We have shown there is limited evidence of higher risk, so more research is needed. However, our research should serve to warn the basketball community about the possible risk.”
Blood clots are serious and it’s good that there was a study conducted – and while limited evidence of higher risk was discovered, there is still the need to do a larger study. Consider this a sampling size, a warning of the possible effects that the sport has on the lungs of athletes. We will keep you posted as news develops.
