The Effect of BCAA Supplementation in Aiding Muscle Soreness to Prevent Lateral Ligament Ankle Injuries in Basketball

Abstract

Ankle injuries are very common in basketball, with 45% of basketball players experiencing at least one sprain at any point in their career and 53.7% of missed playtime is caused by ankle injuries. These injuries can be caused by overworking muscles and causing them to reach maximum tension and soreness. When this happens, the surrounding ligaments and tendons are more susceptible to injury since the muscles that they hold together are weaker and don't function at full strength. The purpose of the study is to understand if athletes will benefit from taking supplements of Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA), to prevent ankle injuries from high a vertical mobility sport like basketball, which includes vertical jumps, layups and re-bounds. Using a combination data collected from control group vs placebo group we proved that BCAA reduces muscle soreness. This is proved by lower soreness scores, and lower values of Creatine kinase (CK) in the blood by the control group that took BCAA. We then proved there is a direct linkage between soreness and muscle fatigue by referring to a study conducted on lateral muscle of Rabbits, which show muscle fatigue, cause soreness and resulting in lower energy production and instability in function, leading to Injury. Based on the study, we comprehensively conclude that BCAA can help reduce risk of ankle injury by reducing muscle soreness and fatigue in basketball players, thereby promoting stable lateral and ankle dorsiflexor muscles.