03/07/2025
MOST COMMON NETBALL INJURIES
In practice the most common injury is to the ankle joint. These injuries can range in severity from ligament or tendon sprain to fracture, and typically involves the lateral (outer) aspect of the ankle joint. Most are lower grade, and will settle down quickly, but some can be niggly and feel unstable for longer periods. This can significantly impact your enjoyment levels and participation. Taping the ankle can be beneficial in keeping you on the court.
Knee injuries are also common. Like the ankle, we mostly see sprain injuries of the medial (inner) collateral ligament. More significant injuries may present with symptoms of clicking, locking, blocking, collapsing or giving way, indicating possible injury to the meniscus and/or ACL. These injuries require more intensive management and possible specialist referral.
The last common injuries are to the achilles or calf, due to the stop/start nature and frequent jumping activity. Again the majority of these injuries are low grade, but significant injuries like an achilles rupture are easy to identify courtside.
The ACC Netball Smart Warmup is an excellent starting point for pre game preparation, but remember that injuries also happen at training so its important that you get some guidance around appropriate self rehab.
The KCP Physio team has been looking after the Kapiti Netball site for many years so has a lot of netball injury experience.
