Are back spasms a common injury in the NBA? If so, why is this the case?

Question

Butler, Peja, Brand, Mcgrady, Diaw - so many nba players seem to suffer from this.

Answer 1

It is common in basketball and occasionally in baseball as well.
The causes are slightly different for each person, exhaustion, overwork, lack of regular work out, overuse of weights.
BB players work on jumping skills. This movement starts with the 29 muscles in your core group which are Ab, Back and Pelvis which are the center of all motion and your platform for balance. Jumping comes from elastic energy not contraction energy. The main muscle groups (the ones body builders bulk up) are contraction muscles used for strength, the flexible muscles are used for flexibility and movement - some people call these Twitch muscles. These are the muscles used for jumping, hitting a fastball, throwing - any quick motion.
Over use or over training with weights will cause these muscles to twitch or spasm uncontrollably and the contraction muscles cannot control them. It is sometimes just left alone to heal with rest but more often it is treated by plyometric workouts to increase flexibility.

Answer 2

Spasms are generally caused by muscle imbalance---one muscle gets inflamed, or contracts vs. the other, and the subsequent friction makes the nerve proximate to the muscle mass tender, partially caused by poor circulation of blood.

Since any sport requiring very quick reflexes (football, basketball, volleyball) results in sudden turns and twists, this impacts muscles, which can dilate or swell, causing spasmodic sensations.

Answer 3

Yes, it is common. Players use there lower back to jump. if the muscles in the lower back is not streched out properly, this can occur