by Kiara La Rocca
Preventing Knee Injuries in Netball
Despite becoming an increasingly semi-contact sport, Netball grew to be the third most popular team sport in Australia during 2022, engaging players of all ages from entry-level juniors up to the elite level on the Suncorp Super Netball Stage.
Knowing all too well the devastation caused by serious knee and ankle injuries, the Netball Australia KNEE program is designed to prevent them from occurring. Developed with the support of the Australian Institute of Sport in 2015, the program is an on-court warm-up designed to enhance movement efficiency and quality to reduce the inherent risk of injury during contests and landing.
Netball injury statistics:
Before we get into why it is so important to prevent netball injuries, let’s get into the numbers. Here are a few statistics from the Australian Institue of Health and Welfare:
- Between 2020 – 2021, 1496 people across Australia were admitted to hospital for a netball injury
- 52% were a result of soft tissue injuries
- 56% involved the leg or hip whilst a further 6% of cases involved the ankle or foot
- Highest hospitalisation rates occurred between April – May and August – September
Why:
Annually, injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee represents 25% of all serious netball injuries alone. With knees and ankles being the most commonly injured body parts of netballers when landing, there is also an inherent risk of other traumatic or overuse injuries during the season.
By being based on programs that have been proven to be effective in reducing general lower limb injuries, specifically ACL injuries by 40-70%, The KNEE program aims to target this problem area for netballers by enhancing the efficiency of take-off and landing from a jump, change of direction and deceleration, therefore improving performance.
Who is it for:
- Juniors: Under 14 years old
- Recreational: Over 14 years old
- Elite: State and national representatives, OR those identified as in the Talent, Elite and Mastery category of Netball Australia’s Player Pathway
How to use the program:
The program includes 4 sections: Warm up, Strength, Balance / Landing & Agility
No equipment is required aside from a netball and should take no longer than 12-15 minutes to complete.
Research has shown that maximum effectiveness is achieved when injury prevention programs are performed at least twice per week, with benefits becoming evident after 10 weeks of consistent implementation. Likewise, the program must be continued for the effects to be maintained.
As a result, it is recommended that the KNEE program be performed before each training or game and twice per week during school holidays or off-season periods.
All information can be accessed via a smartphone, including video demonstrations, manuals & coaching guides, here: https://knee.netball.com.au/
As a netball coach myself, here are some of my tips for implementing the program:
Coaches:
- Spend time studying instructions & coaching points
- Practice the exercise yourself prior to implementing the program to your players
- Provide demonstrations and verbal instructions to highlight correct techniques
- Provide feedback to ensure risky movement patterns are being corrected
- Introduce the program gradually – you do not have to introduce the whole program all at once
Players:
- Watch the online video tutorials for each exercise
- Ask your coach or physiotherapist for feedback on your technique
- Implement these exercises into your weekly exercise routines or ask your coach for an extra few minutes during your warm-up to perform these exercises
References