Stef Hurst from our Wigan clinic brings us this Sports Spotlight on Netball!
Netball has become more and more popular, particularly since England’s success in the Commonwealth games in 2018.
The sport has enjoyed increased interest and participating figures, with a survey published in 2019 reporting over 300,000 adults play the sport (England netball).
As with all sports, Netball has its fair share of injury; with ankle inversion injuries the most common. This is due to the nature of the rapid acceleration, sudden pivoting or change of direction, sprinting and jumping which is involved in the sport.
The ankle consists of 3 articulations;
1) Talocrural (ankle joint) allows the ankle to dorsiflex and plantarflex: “move up and down”.
2) Inferior tibiofibular – unite the tibia and fibula, glide to allow ankle movement.
3) Subtalar – allows for pronation and supination movement within the foot.
Ligaments provide stability within the joint. The lateral ankle consists of 3 ligaments; anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) and the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL). With an ankle sprain it is most common to injury the ATFL and CFL. These ligaments are weaker in a downwards, plantarflexed position, meaning running, jumping and changing direction increase the risk of injury. It is reported that the re-occurrence rate of inversion injuries is 40-85% and that is due to poor rehab and proprioception.
At Harris and Ross we include foot intrinsic stability, ankle strengthening, ankle mobility, glute strengthening and proprioception for a full rehab programme to reduce the rate of reoccurrence. If you have any questions about this Sports Spotlight on Netball, or want to book in, please click on ‘book now’ button or call us on 0161 832 9000.