zuzu8

Liv,
You may already have some answers by now from the doctor, since it's been two days since you posted.

Knee injuries are some of the most serious basketball injuries but all are treatable.

Sometimes it can simply be a knee sprain which is a tiny tear in the ligaments or joint capsule. It would not be severe enough to cause the knee to give way. To help the tear heal, the doc would tell your brother that he should protect his knee for a short time by immobilizing it. After the tear heals,there are special stretching and strengthening exercises for the muscles that help hold the knee in place, again, something a good doc/orthopedist/physical therapist would prescribe.

If your brother twisted his knee, he may have torn a meniscus, which is tissue that acts as a cushion between the bones of the upper and lower leg at the knee. To repair or remove a torn meniscus, he might need arthroscopic surgery.

A more severe injury is a complete tear of one or more of the ligaments that support the knee. in which case the knee would probably hurt a LOT and give way persistently. Although this injury is serious, a lot of basketballers can play again without surgery. BUT again, they have to do special exercises to strengthen their thigh muscles, and they would most likely have to wear a brace on their knee. The trick is strenghtening those thigh muscles.

Hope your brother's injury is a simple sprain and that he won't require any surgery. Maybe just some physical therapy exercises.

zuzu xxx