Preventing ankle injuries
Ankles and netball
Approximately 30% of netball injuries in New Zealand are ankle sprains. Balance (or proprioception) is important for netball and for preventing ankle injuries. When you have an ankle injury, your proprioception is reduced. And you’re four times more likely to sprain your ankle if you’ve had one or more previous sprains.
Research
Netball New Zealand is currently helping Bruce Twaddle and Lesley Rumballs research on what exercises and protocol can improve players’ ankle proprioception. Early data should be available in 2007, with the bulk available by the start of 2008 – watch this space!
Prevention
In the meantime, follow the exercises and guide below to help prevent injury. You need to incorporate them as part of your warm up and training.
Remember: whenever you experience persistent ankle problems make sure you seek professional advice.
A simple check
Here’s a simple ankle proprioception test:- Balance on one leg with arms crossed across waist
- Bend opposite leg behind to 90º
See how long and how well you can hold this position.
Excellent (goal)
- Can balance on one leg for one minute
- Body does not sway
- Correction of balance in ankle only
- Arms remain crossed across waist
- Can then balance 15 seconds with eyes shut without losing balance
Normal (goal)
- Can balance on one leg for one minute
- Manages at least 45 seconds using ankle only as correction
- Arms remain crossed across waist
Below average
- Can balance on one leg for one minute
- Occasionally has to correct balance using hips or trunk otherwise ankle only
- May undo arms to maintain balance
Injury problem
- Can balance on one leg for one minute but has to use leg for support occasionally
- Has to correct using hips/trunk
- Arms move from waist and flap in the air
- Opposite leg must stabilise at times
Major problem
- Cannot balance on one leg for more than short periods of time
- Uses hips and trunk
- Arms undo and flap wildly in the air
You should be in the normal to excellent range.
Ankle preventative and rehabilitation exercises
You can improve or restore your balance with specific exercises. Try these exercises below:
- Balance on one leg and try to maintain control. Your trunk should remain still. Hold for as long as possible up to 60 seconds. Do four to five each side.
- Balance on one leg with your eyes closed and try and maintain control. Balance for as long as possible. Do four to five each side.
- In pairs, each balance on one leg and throw and catch 10 passes. Change legs. Build up to 30 passes.
- Jump off two legs in the air and land on one leg. Balance on landing to count of five, repeat on other leg. Do two to five on each leg. Make sure landing technique is good. Don’t jump too high initially.
- Standing on one leg, prop out to side, land on one leg, balance and hold for five seconds.
