Netball has always been one of Penrith’s most loved team sports.
With the annual Night Netball Competition on at Jamison Park at the moment, we thought we’d talk about some of the most common netball injuries, how they occur and what you need to know about them.
It’s no surprise that we often see netballers coming into the clinic with ankle and knee injuries. It’s a sport that requires a lot of fast movements, changes in direction as well as jumping and landing. When the body constantly performs movements such as these, the potential for injury rises. It’s also estimated that up to 60% of netball injuries are at the knee or below. A finding that definitely doesn’t surprise.
Some of the most common reasons netballers suffer injury are:
- Falling or slipping over
- Contact or collision with other players
- Being hit by the ball itself
- Overuse
- Landing awkwardly
Instances such as this can cause injury types such as:
- Bruising
- Sprains
- Dislocations
- Fractures
- Ligament tears
The most common injuries seen in netballers are:
- ACL injuries
- Finger dislocations
- Ankle sprains
- Shin splints
- Patellar Tendinopathy (also commonly known as Jumper’s Knee)
- Achilles Tendinopathy
The key to preventing injury, generally speaking for all Netball players, is to practice adequate warm up and cool down before and after each game as well as practicing their landing technique. Many of these injuries at first require the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method for the first day or two.
For all major injuries, it’s recommended to get in touch with your local physiotherapist to move forward. To get you back to the court as soon as possible, your local physiotherapist can:
- talk to you about the best treatment options
- create a personalised rehabilitation program
- suggest exercises for you to do at home, and
- give you strategies to manage and minimise your pain.
If you or someone you know has suffered a recent netball injury, you can be confident our qualified and highly skilled physiotherapists will relieve your pain and get you back on the court as soon as possible.
Call Progressive Sport and Spinal Physiotherapy today on 47217798 or email: info@progressiverehab.com.au to book an appointment.