Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Lithuania, and participation in women’s basketball is on the rise. Pre-participation examinations, including musculoskeletal screening and functional performance testing, is an essential part of a multidisciplinary approach to prevent future injuries. Because the lower extremities are the most commonly-injured body area in basketball players. Assessing fundamental movement qualities is of utmost importance. The aim of our study was to determine if functional tests can predict sports injuries in elite female basketball players. A total of 351 records for professional female basketball players were screened during 2013–2016 season. We analysed functional characteristics before the season and used functional performance tests for injury risk assessment: the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), the lower quarter Y Balance test (YBT-LQ) and the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). Data from 169 players’ records were analysed: 77 of them made it to the end of season without injury, making up the non-injured group, while 92 of them suffered lower limb sport injuries during the sport season (injury group). Student’s t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used to determine differences between groups. The most commonly encountered sports injuries in our population were those of knee 40.2% and ankle 38%. The injury group had a lower total FMS score ( p = 0.0001) and higher total LESS score ( p = 0.028) than non-injury group. The dynamic balance of lower limbs was similar in both groups. Imperfect functional movement patterns and poor jump-landing biomechanics during pre-season screening were associated with lower extremity injuries in elite female basketball players. Impairments of dynamic stability in the lower extremities were not associated with injury rates in our population. A combination of functional tests can be used for injury risk evaluation in female basketball players.

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Background and Objectives: The participation of women in sports, including basketball, is becoming increasingly common, and this increased involvement raises concerns about the potential risk of sports injuries, but there is a lack of epidemiological studies about the incidence of sports injuries in women’s basketball, especially in Europe. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and localizations of sport related injuries and illnesses in elite female basketball players. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study. The sample consisted of 358 elite female basketball players, with a mean age of 23.4 ± 5.93 years, participated in the study. The players were interviewed using a pre-participation health questionnaire during the 2013–2016 sport seasons in the pre-season preparation phase. Results: 155 health problems were reported in 358 athletes during the screening period. The most frequently injured body parts were lower limbs: more than 60%, representing an injury rate of 0.14 per athletes and a 0.2 pain rate per athlete during the study period. Conclusions: The main findings showed the importance of monitoring lower extremity injuries and pain to pay attention to the players, which are at risk. The occurrence of injuries and pain among female basketball players was high. The lower extremities are the most frequently injured body area in the Lithuanian Women’s Basketball League.