Ankle sprains
Jammed finger
Knee sprain
Torn ACL
Pre-season drills

Muscle strains
The quick bursts of speed and direction changes inherent in basketball can make for sore muscles after a hard-fought game. Athletes are most likely to experience muscle strains early in the season when their conditioning level isn't where it needs to be. Even late in the season, however, you could strain a muscle when you're fatigued at the end of a game.

Recreational basketball players can avoid some of the early season muscle trauma by working on strength and conditioning prior to the season. Work on quick bursts of activity. Try sprinting on the court both the length and the width, with and without the ball.

If you experience a painful muscle strain, ice it right away and keep icing it on and off for 72 hours or until any swelling has stabilized. Don't apply heat to anything that's swollen. You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, which are helpful for relieving the pain of many minor injuries.

Ankle sprains
When you go up for a rebound amidst a group of scrambling players, you face the possibility of a sprained ankle if you come down on someone else's foot. These are usually inversion ankle sprains to the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. If you have a history of ankle sprains, experts say you should consider playing in an ankle brace or taping your ankle.

To treat an ankle sprain, just remember the RICE acronym (rest, ice, compression, elevation). Icing especially will help control the swelling that can cause pain over the several days following an injury. You may need to see a physician to determine if the ankle is sprained or broken.

Jammed finger
There's not much you can do to prevent a jammed finger in a sport where a ball flies at you fast. If you jam a finger, ice it right away and try to move it as soon as you can. If you think it might be dislocated or you can't move it at all, get an x-ray to see what's going on in there.

Knee sprain
The most common knee sprain in basketball is a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain and can be caused by either planting then cutting too hard or by hitting the outside of your knee on someone else's planted leg. Pre-season leg strengthening helps prevent many knee injuries.

Treat MCL sprains with ice (even though they don't generally swell excessively). Try a knee sleeve for compression and make sure you work on your range of motion as soon as you can. A torn MCL can be a fairly serious injury and must be evaluated and treated by a physician.

Torn ACL
Leg strength specifically, an even hamstrings to quadriceps strength ratio has been identified as a possible factor in preventing tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). ACL tears are fairly common in basketball, especially in female players, whose hip structures often lead to "knock-kneed" landings. Practice jumping and landing properly balanced on both feet, and on the balls of your feet.

If you think you might have a torn ACL, get evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon. A torn ACL usually requires reconstructive surgery.

Pre-season drills
Ideally, you'd start training for basketball season three weeks before it started, building a base of strength and conditioning and building up from there. But for most recreational athletes, that's not realistic and doing something is better than doing nothing. So try to get at least a base level of conditioning built up in the weeks or months prior to the season. Focus on strength training squats, plymetrics, and jumping drills as well as drills that improve your ability to move well on the court.

Here are a few on-court drills:

• Star drill
  Place four cones in a square, eight to ten feet apart. Stand in the center of the square, and have your drill partner point to a cone. Get yourself to the cone, touch it, and return to the center as quickly as you can. Before you're back to the center, your partner should be pointing to the next cone you have to touch. Start with 30 seconds and build to a minute or two. This improves your ability to change direction quickly and be aware of body position.
  
  
• Zigzag drill
  Place six cones on the court in a zigzag pattern (cones should be about 16 feet apart and at 45 degree angles). Start at the first cone and sprint to the second, then third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Reverse the pattern and return to the first cone. Repeat for 30 seconds; build up to a minute or two. This gives you practice in quick bursts of speed and shifting direction.
  
  
• Medicine ball shuffle
  Stand at one end of the court, facing your partner who is a foot or two away from you. Do a sideways shuffle for the length of the court, passing the medicine ball back and forth. This works your shuffling ability, balance, strength, and ability to stay low.