The NBA is notorious for its exciting games and professional gameplay, but there’s another element that fans love to follow, and that is style and appearance. One fashion accessory you may have noticed among professional basketball players is a shooting sleeve.
A shooting sleeve protects your elbows from injury during a basketball game by adding compression and warmth. Shooting sleeves are used as an accessory or fashion statement among basketball players.
Shooting sleeves offer health benefits and a sense of style to a basketball player’s regulation jersey. This article will explain the medical benefits of a shooting sleeve and indications that you need one for your game.
What Is a Shooting Sleeve, and Do You Need One?
A shooting sleeve, or basketball sleeve, covers from the bicep to the wrist and is typically made of nylon and spandex. It’s a sleeve that basketball players can wear as an accessory or for health benefits.
A basketball sleeve can be considered an accessory, like headbands and wristbands. However, wearing sleeves has more to do with health benefits for gameplay.
If you are wondering if you need one for playing basketball, it’s a good idea to invest in one just in case. They’re extremely helpful in preventing common injuries during your pickup game.
If you are experiencing discomfort in your elbows, they may be hyperextended or swollen. A shooting sleeve will help reduce swelling and increase blood flow. Be sure to consult your primary doctor about elbow injuries and prevention tips.
Why Do NBA Players Wear Shooting Sleeves?
An NBA basketball player may wear a shooting sleeve for a few reasons. First, basketball players may wear sleeves to keep their arm muscles warm, and by keeping them warm, avoid injury and soreness.
Here are some other common reasons basketball players use shooting sleeves:
- Compression
- Warmth
- Pain relief in the elbow
- Protection if you fall during a game
- Covering tattoos
- Dry arms against sweat
- Style and appearance
Increasing compression helps reduce muscle fatigue and hyperextension.
If you’re wondering if a shooting sleeve has to do with which arm you shoot the basketball on, it usually does not matter. Basketball players wear sleeves on an arm that need extra support or compression. It doesn’t have to do anything with which arm you shoot.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson started wearing basketball sleeves about 20 years ago during the 2000-2001 NBA season. He had an arm injury from bursitis, and his doctor recommended he wear an arm sleeve to add compression and warmth to help with his injuries. In addition, wearing a shooting sleeve helped reduce his pain during a game.
Bursitis is a painful medical condition when your bursae–fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints–become inflamed, resulting from overuse and hyperextension of your limbs during gameplay.
Bursitis happens when you make frequent motions with one or multiple joints. So, for example, if you are a shooting guard in basketball, you may be using your elbows a lot to score points for your team. Since Iverson was a shooting guard, he often tried to shoot points.
Conclusion
A basketball sleeve can be considered an accessory, like headbands and wristbands. However, having a trendy accessory with health benefits that supports your arm and prevents future injuries is handy.