Bracing for winter sport

Bracing for winter sports: our tips for avoiding netball ankle injuries

With the Auckland netball season kicking off, we’re gearing up to see more ankle injuries hobbling through the door. Rolled, sprained and weak ankles are a common injury across winter sports - in fact rugby, soccer and netball are the top three culprits for causing ankle injuries. According to ACC, netball alone generates approximately 9000 registered injuries a year - and that’s just in Auckland!

Of course, that’s no reason to hold back from doing a sport you love. And we’re here to help just as much with prevention as we are with rehabilitation. So, here are some things to keep in mind:

Pre-season prep

Last year, we saw a huge spike in injuries in the weeks between lockdown. It seems many of you came out of lockdown - and straight into playing! While the freedom probably felt good, you didn’t do your body any favours. Netball is a game that puts plenty of pressure on your joints, and without proper preparation, you’re more inclined to encounter injuries, especially more serious ones such as an Achilles rupture. Give yourself plenty of time to ease into the physical demands of the season; fitness is one thing, but also introduce exercises like jumping and more plyometric style training - whether that’s in your own exercise, or in your team training. Keep your body active over any breaks in the season, so as not to cause a shock to the system when games start back up again.

Warm up properly

Your warm up and warm down should be treated with just as much focus as your game - yes, even for you ‘social’ players, stretching should be taken seriously! To avoid blowouts, your body needs to be warm, stretched and ready to move in all sorts of directions. Warming up and stretching ensures your muscles are best prepared to support your joints, and will reduce the likelihood of injuries. Likewise, your body needs a good, slow cool down to avoid causing restriction in your body.

Sort out niggles early

Despite being a ‘non-contact’ sport, netball sure is a physical game. Sometimes you may roll an ankle or feel a tweak during the game, but the adrenaline keeps you pushing through. But if it’s still feeling niggly after the final whistle, don’t ignore it. It’s better to get early advice and get on top of small issues, before they become bigger ones that could really put a damper on your season. We’re on site for the Auckland Central League on Saturdays for both school and club games, so it’s super easy to stop by and chat to a physio before or after your game if you have any concerns.

Good recovery matters

Likewise, while you may think you’ve given an old injury enough time to sort itself out since last season, it may require more specific rehab than you realise. Put simply, there are cells in our body that tell our body where we are in space - it means that we can lift an arm or move our leg without having to look at it to know where it’s going to end up. So, when we are walking along uneven ground, leaping in the air or landing back down, and those cells sense that our ankle is starting to roll, they quickly tell our body to contract the ankle to stop it from fully rolling. That clever behaviour is called proprioception. But here’s where it gets tricky. If you’ve had soft tissue damage, for example from an injury like a sprain, those cells start to die off, and take that clever feedback loop with them. That means that when our ankle starts to roll, we don’t have those messages coming through to tell our body to protect itself. If you’ve had a number of injuries or are ‘prone to rolling’ your ankle, this is why good rehab, with plenty of proprioception focused exercises assigned from a physiotherapist is so important!

Check your footwear

Do a pre-season check of your shoes to check the wear patterns. Make a call at the start of the season whether it’s time to invest in a new pair (choosing netball specific shoes is best). Practice with them pre-season, and try to avoid playing in a new pair part way through the season.

Get extra protection if needed

If you’ve done the rehab, but still feeling uncertain about your ankle strength, or you’re prone to recurrent sprains and need some extra support, chat to your physio about whether ankle braces may be suitable for you. While we put emphasis on rehab as a solution, we can also assess and fit the right brace for you for games. Strapping is also a good way to introduce extra support - again, you’re welcome to stop by and see us at the courts on Saturday if you’re involved in the Auckland league.

If you have rolled your ankle, follow the golden rules of rest, ice, compression and elevation. But remember too that you can come straight to us - we can help organise crutches or a moonboot, organise your ACC claim and send you off for x-rays if needed (because who wants to sit in an A&E waiting room for hours, right?!).

As always, if you need more personalised advice, our physiotherapy team at both our Newmarket and St Heliers clinics are available to help. You can also meet our team at the St Johns netball courts on Saturdays during the school and club netball season. While we’re here to help with injuries, we’d also love to ensure they don’t happen in the first place, so if you have any concerns, book in for a chat!