Ankle Injuries and Sprains in Netball Players

Ankle Injuries and Sprains in Netball – Moorabbin

Netball is a fast-paced sport that combines agility, speed and coordination. Due to the jolting nature, high speed bursts, sudden stopping and frequent changes of direction, there are many injuries that can occur.

Together over the next few weeks we will focus on some of the most common netball injuries, along with advice regarding management and prevention. Today we will focus on ankle sprains.

Ankle sprains are one of the most frequent injuries in netball. They often occur when the ligaments in your ankle are overstretched during stepping, jumping, landing unbalanced or with quick direction changes. Ankle sprains often occur when the ankle rolls outward, causing the sole of the foot to turn inwards. These are commonly known as inversion sprains occurring on the lateral (outside) of the ankle and make up 80% of ankle sprains. The other 20% are made up of medial (inside) ankle sprains, which are also known as eversion sprains. Ankle sprains can vary in severity- from a low-grade ankle sprain to ligament ruptures and in some cases broken bones. It is common after an ankle sprain to experience pain, swelling, bruising and difficulty weight-bearing on the injured side.

Treatment/Management:

• Pain modulation: there are a variety of techniques to help reduce and manage your initial pain and swelling
• Mobility: exercises to increase the range of movement in your ankle and help reduce pain
• Strength: improving the strength of the muscles around the ankle and lower leg to help provide a supportive environment for your ankle’s healing
• Balance/proprioception: help to provide more stability and control to the ankle to prevent re-injury
• Gradual and guided return to training and games

Prevention:

• Calf and ankle strengthening exercises
• Balance/proprioceptive exercises
• Supportive footwear
• Adequate warm up before training sessions and games

When to see a physio?

If you have experienced an acute ankle injury where there has been a specific incident/ankle roll or if you have been experiencing ankle pain for longer than a week with no specific onset. Many injuries require further treatment and rehabilitation. It is best to see a physiotherapist, so you can get the most out of your rehabilitation, get back to playing as soon as possible, and look at preventing further ankle injuries.

For help with your ankle sprain, book in with our ankle specialise Tash Symons for an extensive ankle assessment and management plan.

https://www.unbreakablephysio.com.au/natasha-symons/