With easing COVID-19 restrictions, the netball season begins anew! Since Netball is the most widely played sport among Australian women (fair enough, we’re pretty good at it), this is fantastic news! However, this can also be a little terrifying for many who have a history of injuries playing the game they love, especially since many will be deconditioned coming out of self-isolation/lockdown. So, us at PROHEALTH Physio & Fitness decided it would be a great time to examine the research to see which netball injuries are the most common in Australia and to suggest strategies on how to prevent them. Here are our findings:
Top 3 Most Commonly injured body parts:
1. Knee (42%)
2. Ankle (29%)
3. Wrist (11%)
Top 3 Most Common types of injuries
1. Sprain/ligament injury (57%)
2. Fracture (15%)
3. Tendon (6%)
The playing surface and weather can also dictate the risk of injury where the majority of injuries (68.45%) occurs on outdoor surfaces and 94.32% of injuries occurring on outdoor surfaces were also under wet conditions.
While controlling the weather and having the privilege to always pick indoor hardwood courts would be lovely, I think we ought to consider ourselves fortunate for being able to return to the game we love. But what can we do to prevent netball injuries and stay on the court? How do I keep my knees and ankles safe? How do I prevent a terrible injury from being a major inconvenience to my work, leisure, and social life?
The evidence-based approach in injury prevention and management for knee and ankle would be to strengthen lower limb muscles while also implementing dynamic balance exercises to reinforce the soft tissue structures of both the ankle and knee.
Exercises such as squats, lunges, deadlifts would be an excellent for strengthening your lower limbs, improving performance and would contribute to reducing your risk of lower limb injuries. Dynamic balance exercises can work to test and strengthen joint stability in a controlled and safe manner which can better prepare our joints for the wear and tear of court time.
If you have a complicated relationship with exercise and would like professional, university educated advice, our team at PROHEALTH Physio & Fitness would love to empower you to return to the court and to stay on the court.
Feel free to call us on 8317 7770 to book an appointment with one of our specialists!
Reference: Joseph, C., Naughton, G., & Antcliff, A. (2019). Australian netball injuries in 2016: An overview of insurance data. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 22(12), 1304–1308.