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Objectives To investigate movement quality, physical performance and prevalence of overuse injuries in secondary school netballers. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods 166 players were rated performing a modified netball movement competency (MC) screen consisting of five functional tasks. Maximum jump height and power during a vertical jump were also recorded as was dorsiflexion range of motion. Additionally, frontal plane knee angle (FPKA) and knee position relative to the foot during a single leg squat and drop jump were assessed. Finally players completed an overuse knee and ankle injury questionnaire based on the previous 12 months. Results The total MC score (maximum 32) ranged from 12 to 30. Across all tasks approximately 50% of players failed to meet the criteria for good movement competency and more than 50% of players landed with a knee position medial to the foot during the drop jump. Seventy three percent of players failed to reach the suggested minimum range of motion in the dorsiflexion assessment. Highest grade players had significantly better jump performance and total MC score than lowest grade players. The prevalence of all knee and ankle problems was 31% and 51% respectively. There were no significant differences in total MC score, jump performance or dorsiflexion ROM between players with a history of knee or ankle problems and those without. Conclusion Movement quality, physical performance and ankle range of motion are not associated with history of injury in youth netballers. Poor landing technique, poor movement quality and overuse knee/ankle problems remain issues for secondary school netballers and strategies to address this should continue to be a focus of coach and player development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a 17-year-old woman who suffered from pure ankle dislocation during an amateur netball game. A closed, deformed right ankle was revealed by examination and X-ray revealed a pure posteromedial dislocation of her right tibiotalar joint with no malleolar fractures or syndesmotic diastasis. The patient was successfully treated with controlled ankle motion orthosis.

Background Excessive knee valgus moments are considered to be a risk factor for non-contact injuries in female athletes. Knee injuries are highly prevalent in netballers and are significant in terms of cost and disability. The aim of the study was to identify if changes in external ankle support mechanisms effect the range of motion and loading patterns at the ankle and knee joint during a sidestep cutting manoeuvre in high performance netball players. Methods Netballers with no previously diagnosed ankle or knee injury (n = 10) were recruited from NSW Institute of Sport netball programme. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected simultaneously using a 3-D Motion Analysis System and a force platform to measure ground reaction forces. Players performed repeated side step cutting manoeuvres whilst wearing a standard netball shoe, the same shoe with a lace-up brace and a high-top shoe. Results The brace condition significantly reduced ankle joint ROM in the sagittal plane by 8.9° ± 2.4 when compared to the standard netball shoe (p = 0.013). No other significant changes were seen between conditions for either kinematic or kinetic data. All shoe conditions did however produce knee valgus moments throughout the cutting cycle that were greater than those considered excessive in the previous literature (0.59 Nm / kg-Bwt). Conclusions The results show that an external ankle support brace can be used to reduce the ROM at the ankle in the sagittal plane without affecting the loading of the joints of the lower limb. Internal varus moments generated at the knee during the task were however greater than values reported in the literature to classify excessive knee joint moments, regardless of the condition. All netballers exhibited lower extremity patterns and alignments previously associated with increased peak external valgus moments including; increasing hip abduction, peak hip flexion and internal rotation during early contact and high laterally directed ground reaction forces. Increased external valgus knee loads have been strongly linked to the development of non-contact injuries at the knee in female athletes and could highlight a potential mechanism for the development non-contact knee injuries in netballers performing side step cutting tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the comparison of the competitive seasonal fitness of youth netball and soccer academy teams and the sustained injuries throughout the season in Australia. Results of the study indicate the incorporation of certain conditioning training and weekly training program for seasonal fitness maintenance and the use of injury prevention programs to lessen sustained injury severity.

Netball involves rapid acceleration, deceleration and directional changes exerting considerable force on articular and peri-articular structures, resulting in a high risk of injuries. Preventing injuries to the ankle and knee joints of netball players is of particular concern. Improvement in core stability, neuromuscular control (NMC) and biomechanics have been proven to reduce knee injuries within the sporting population. Improvement in proprioception is effective in reducing ankle injuries. Playing surfaces with higher friction values seem to elevate the rate of injuries. The aim of this study was to assess participation in preventative training modalities to reduce joint injuries that occur most frequently in a cohort of elite South African netball players (N=1280). The effect of the playing surface on injury rates was also assessed. Subjects participated in three elite netball tournaments in South Africa. By means of a questionnaire it was found that between 51.7% and 59% of injured netball players did no exercises to improve their core stability, NMC or proprioception. The cement playing surface delivered a 1.9 times higher injury rate than the synthetic surface. Netball coaches should be educated on the value and implementation of exercise modalities that could limit injuries to the ankle and knee joints of netball players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report examined the neuromuscular function of a competitive female netball player six days prior to an incident where she sustained an acute anterior cruciate ligament injury during normal sports activity. Electromyography was used to examine activation onsets of four lower limb muscles (rectus femoris, biceps femoris, medial hamstrings and gluteus medius) relative to initial contact (IC) during netball-specific landings of varying complexity. The results of the injured participant were compared to the remaining participants in the study (n=8), and the injured participant's injured limb was compared to the contralateral limb. The injured participant was the only player to record delayed pre-injury muscle onsets after IC for all muscles tested in the injured limb, while her non-injured limb was comparable to the other participants tested. Furthermore, delayed muscle onset after IC occurred more frequently as landing complexity increased. This case report suggests that delayed muscle activity onset after IC during landing may be an important risk factor for ACL injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examined the injuries sustained in basketball and netball which led to hospitalization in Australia. The study used the data from the National Hospital Morbidity Database from July 2000 to June 2004. It discovered 5,090 hospital admissions related to basketball, and 4,596 admissions related to netball. Fractures, anterior cruciate ligament rupture and Achilles tendon injury were found to be the most common sustained injury.

Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate insurance records for a one-year period to determine the injury frequencies and costs associated with different age groups in netball. The insurance records for all netball claims made during 1999 in Victoria were obtained from the insurer and entered into a database. The overall injury rate was 9.49 injuries per 1000 players, with 829 claims for injuries filed with the insurance company. Of all injuries claimed for, 85.3% were to the lower limb, 8.7% to the upper limb, 3.1% to the spine/torso and 2.9% to the head and face. Lower limb injuries accounted for 85.4% of costs, upper limb injuries 10.7% and head/neck/torso injuries 3.9% of total injury costs. Knee injuries accounted for 56.9% of total costs, with ankle and calf/Achilles injuries costing 12.7 and 11.8% of total costs, respectively. Injury prevention strategies should therefore be directed to three main injuries taking into account costs and incidence. These injuries were: ankle sprains, knee ligament sprains and Achilles tendon strains. Specifically, the prevention program for Achilles injuries should be directed to the >25 years age groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: This paper identifies the risk and protective factors for injury in non-elite netball. Three-hundred and sixty-eight non-elite netballers completed a baseline questionnaire at the commencement of the 1997 preseason. Participants were telephoned each month during the 1997 and 1998 playing seasons to provide details of their exposure at training and games and any injury experiences in the previous 4 weeks. The incidence of injury in this study was 14 injuries per 1000 player hours. The risk factors for injury were identified as: not warming up before a game (IRR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00–1.23) and not being open to new ideas (IRR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00–1.07). Training for 4 or more hours per week (IRR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45–0.98) and not sustaining an injury in the previous 12 months (IRR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43–0.79) were found to be protective against injury. The risk and protective factors for injury identified in this study can be used as the basis for the development of evidence-based injury prevention strategies that seek to reduce the risk of injury in sport. Injury prevention strategies should focus on the development of effective training programs that include netball-specific skills, activities and movements. Further investigation into the mechanisms associated with the risk and protective factors identified would provide further understanding of why these factors increase or decrease the risk of injury. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]