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Cairns Netball teamNetball finals are just around the corner and athletes will be pushing their bodies to breaking point, striving to come home as strongly as possible. It’s the tail end of the season when bodies are tired, and this is a common time for netball injuries to happen.

There are two main categories of injuries that can occur – acute and chronic. Chronic injuries come about over a long period of time and are in broad terms “wear and tear” or repetitive type conditions.
In netball, examples of chronic conditions are patellofemoral syndrome (pain around the knee cap), Achilles tendinosis, plantar fasciitis (heel and arch pain) and shin splints (to name but a few). Acute injuries in netball include inversion ankle sprains (rolling the ankle), stress fractures, sesamoiditis, anterior cruciate ligament damage (knee), medial and lateral collateral ligament damage (also knee), and Achilles tendon tears.

Shin SplintsYour my FootDr Podiatrist has a very important role to play in the prevention and management of netball injuries. Our Podiatrists are highly trained and specialized in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of sports injuries. Having a complete lower limb biomechanical and musculoskeletal examination is a crucial step in identifying risk factors that could lead to injury.

Some of these risk factors could be any or a combination of the following:
– Worn or inappropriate footwear
– Fatigue and overload
– Inadequate stretching and warming up
– Gait or biomechanics that put more strain on the lower limbs
– Decreased muscle strength and flexibility
– Decreased joint range of motion

Having identified any such risk factors, your podiatrist can then formulate a treatment plan. This plan could involve any number of treatment modalities such as:
– Strength and flexibility training
– Manipulation and mobilization
– Dry needling (available at selected practices only)
– Therapeutic ultrasound
Shockwave therapy
– Sports taping
– Footwear changes
– Training and exercise modification
Custom-made foot orthotics

So, if you or a friend or family member currently has a lower limb injury, or you want to make sure you are doing everything you can to avoid an injury, book an appointment with your my FootDr Podiatrist.
Call 1800 FOOTDR or book online.