15/09/2025
We often hear this common myth! Just this week, we've had two examples of people proving this old tale to be incorrect. Both these people come in one and two weeks after their netball injuries, keen to get back on the court. Both walked into the clinic, hoping to be playing soon - one had already tried and the other was keen to play the next day.. unfortunately both had fractures, confirmed on xrays.
Our physio's follow the same ankle assessments that are done in Urgent Care Clinics and Emergency Departments to determine if you need an image. In both these cases, xrays were indicated, and both had broken bones - one foot and one ankle.
One of the fractures was in a certain spot in the foot, that has a high risk of not healing, due to the poor blood supply of this specific part of the bone. Sometimes these type of foot fractures even need to be pinned asap to ensure they heal properly. This is the information only highly trained health professionals know to look out for - it's just not true, that if you can move or weight bear, you don't need an xray.
Both were fitted with boots to protect their injury. They'll have some mobility exercises to do whilst in the boot, and will start their rehab in a few weeks. Fortunately both these people made excellent choices coming into Mint and will now be back on the court after the right rehab (to prevent this from happening again!).
❗Our hospitals (and GP's) are all under pressure right now - remember, physio's can look after these simple fractures in the community. We'll organise an xray, fit a boot, chat with an orthopaedic surgeon if needed, or arrange an appointment with a specialist sports physician, all within 24hrs (just like we did for these two patients). All without having to wait whilst our ED colleagues attend to critical emergencies.
If you've had an injury, book an appointment with a Mint Physio and let our experts look after you today!
