BB Injuries: If You Were Forced to Choose One

it's the dog days of summer, so then....

a buddy of mine who I used to play a lot of pick-up BB games with visited me a while back. We got to talking about our glory days and got in a little debate about which type of 'minor' injury was worse: a sprained ankle or a solid shot to the nutbag...

now, I'm not talking about a Josh McRoberts level of sprained ankle where you're mostly horizontal for two weeks with bruising and swelling from your toes to your knee and where you have to use crutches and a walking boot to get around...

no, this is the kind of sprained ankle where your brain short-circuits for 10-15 seconds because of the blast of pain; you look for something to grab onto, like your best buddy (more on that later), and you hop grunting and moaning to someplace you can collapse and suffer and curse your luck and anything else until the pain level drops enough you can hobble your way home while vowing to give up basketball and then self-medicate for a day or two (or seven). Your ankle is tender for 2 or 3 days and you stay away from anything physical for 2 or 3 more days.

I'm also not talking about a crushing slam to your manhood like Joel Przybilla had where he missed 3 weeks of a season because of a contusion down there. I mean, how hard did he get crushed to end up with a contusion on his essentials? I shudder to think about it

no, this the type of nut-slam where your eyes immediately bulge out of your head, you combine an immediate mix of a gasp-squeak-squawk-groan-squeal into a single exhale of misery and you sink lower and lower to the floor and a pool of self-pity while you crawl to a wall to lean against, break out in a cold sweat, and try not to puke. If an anemic 5 year old with the flu and broken arm wanted to steal the shoes off your feet, you wouldn't have the strength to stop it. The pain and the shock are pretty much gone 30 to 40 minutes later but the ptsd remains and you waddle home and don't even want to visit Pornhub as a distraction

so which is it? what is the lesser evil? which would you endure if you had to endure one?

* the more later: way way back when I was a student at the UofO, on a sunny and hot spring day, six of us were playing a pick-up game on an outdoor court. I came down on somebody's foot and the above outlined sprain occurred. Unfortunately for one of my buddies, he was right in front of me with his back turned toward me. My reflex, to keep from collapsing, was to reach out and grab him for support. Somehow, I managed to get his trapezius muscle in a vice-like-mr-spock-vulcan-death-hold grip that just about paralyzed him. I had no idea what I was doing...just reaction. So, a friend of ours walked by at the time and saw me grimace-gasping in pain and directly in front of me our buddy with the same stupid oh-god-help-me-please expression. He was still laughing about it 25 years later. For some reason, the friend I had the death grip on didn't see the humor till a day or two later

 

Rather the nut shot. Ive had both. My BB injury list is really long, easier to play through a good shot to the groin then a sprained ankle though.
In fact Ive played through, bad knees, concussions, and stuff but sprained ankles can really put a hamper on doing anything. Only “minor” injury I find harder to play through was had a stinger in my back once during a game.

 

You have entered the middle ground between light and shadow. Between science and superstition. It lies between the pit of man's fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. You have entered the area which we call, the creepy zone.

 

It's simple. Take the nut shot.

The recovery time is faster.

 

You already got a kid too! Dont need em to work anymore.

 

Unless that nutbag shot leads you to damaging your man area. Surgery and recovery is not a pleasant thing to go through.

 

Worst pain I’ve ever had was from ankles. They are now about as strong as paper mache.

 

Worst pain for me was when I tore my calf muscle. Was like I got shot. I didn't fall down, and limped away, but that sucked...

How badly did you hurt your ankles? Broken? Really bad ankle sprains are no fun.

 

I have broken them and tore through ligaments to the point I can barely mow my lawn without turning them. I was black and blue to my knee on the worst one. I almost threw up.

 

One of the engineers in my group at work despises sports (all of them), says they’re terrible for your body. That everyone who plays them comes out worse for it. Of course he also just recently had to lose about 100 lbs so they could do a surgery and still has about 70ish to lose. I get some of his points though, I played Soccer, and basketball and Im only 34 but Ive got an injury sheet that would make Greg Oden blush...

 

That is intense! Sounds awful.... Sorry to hear that.

 

1. I sprained my ankle two years ago and it still bothers me.
2. I'm a woman.

So obviously nut sack gets my vote.

 

For those of you with bad ankles, this UofM site basically lists out a really good physical therapy routine for getting your ankles to stop bothering you.
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/te7604

 

Exactly! Also a nut shot as has been described has the risk of a testicle rupturing or (heaven forbid) bursting and I don't care how painful this sprained ankle is, nothing will top either of those.

 

Been doing physical therapy exercises for the ankle for two years.

 

I had an avulsion fracture on my ankle playing BB. Actually played through it. Game of my life. Made FT’s to put us up by 1 with 3 secs left. Other team Baseball passes 3/4 court. Player hook shots from beyond the 3 point line. Nothing but net. Then, as I try to walk up the stairs I realize something is wrong. Pain was excruciating. No surgery, but walking boot for a while. Still feel it every now and then.

 

After 4 kids, I welcome the nut shot.