12 Mar 19

How to prevent netball injuries – the KNEE program!

The game of netball is such that injuries can and do happen, as much as we may not want them to. However, is there a way of preventing them? Well, the short answer is YES! The single best means of preventing netball-specific injuries, is through the use of the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM.

Netballers will well know that, netball injuries tend to occur most commonly in the ankles and knees. One of the most concerning injuries, which is common to netballers, is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in the knee – this can account for up to 25% of serious netball injuries and often results in surgery, extensive rehabilitation and a lengthy period of time out of netball. As the name of the program would suggest, the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM does specifically target knee injuries.

Regular completion of the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM has been show to reduce all lower limb injuries and in particular ACL injuries in the order of 40-70%!!! You can check out the Netball Australia Flyer regarding the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM here.

The NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM is designed as a series of exercises to be used as a warm-up prior to training and games. There is no need for any additional warm-up to take place. The program is designed to be used by netballers aged 10+ and there are 3 different levels of the program – junior, recreational & elite. Completion of the program should take between 10 & 12 minutes each time.

Netball Australia has produced a wealth of resources for the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM including videos of each of the exercises. To access these resources, visit /https://knee.netball.com.au/

As physiotherapists with a strong interest in sport, we would love to see all netball players (aged 10+) completing an appropriate injury prevention program as a warm-up. We cannot see any reason why this shouldn’t be standard practice for coaches, clubs & associations to implement. The evidence is there to indicate that this is the single best injury-prevention measure available and as such there simply shouldn’t be any excuse not to use it.

If your coach, club or association is not using the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM, you may wish to point this out to them. We are always more than happy to speak to coaches, clubs or associations and discuss the program with them and any concerns they may have along with directing them to all the appropriate resources. Get them to get in touch with us.

Our principal physiotherapist, Brendan Limbrey is a Nationally Endorsed Provider of Netball Australia’s KNEE Program. If you would like any further information regarding the NETBALL KNEE PROGRAM, you can contact Brendan Limbrey (APA Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist) directly by email and he will be more than happy to help you out.

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