Dr Hayden Cohen (Osteopath)
“Netball knees”
So it is a winter Saturday, the courts are a little damp, there’s a cool breeze on your back and those white knee caps are starting to feel the pinch of cold seeping in. Or maybe its Friday night, inside, the stadiums alive and you’re ready to hit the court before the weekend.
Either way, once you run out on that netball court, no matter what position you play, there will be plenty of stop-start, stop-start running. Of course, if you’re experienced, your catching and passing on the move, but throughout the game there will always be moments where we have to stop suddenly whilst lurching forwards, pivot, and change direction rapidly. Usually not such a problem for the juniors, but seasoned veterans will tell you those knees of yours will cop a beating. Hence the term “netballer’s knees”. Keeping them in good condition will help prolong your netball career significantly, as well as boost performance, reduce pain and the likelihood of injury and time away from the team.
key considerations
Ankle stability and footwear
Having the right shoe for your body makes a big difference in the adaptability of your foot, and the response times through the rest of your body. Now there’s such a wide variety of footwear available today that there’s no real specific answer for everybody. It’s best to consider your strengths and weaknesses.
Do you have a strong flexible foot, minimal history of ankle sprains and generally good balance? You’d probably be okay in a more flexible, neutral shoe with minimal support for greater proprioception and response time.
Is your arch a bit flat and weak, or are your ankles a bit wobbly with balance? Have you had serious sprains in the past? Then a shoe with ankle and arch support will be important. Remember you can train and rehab your feet for anything, but always take it slow when making transitions.
Leg strength and flexibility
Now what about the knee itself? Well, most the muscles that affect the knee come from above the hip, the femur, and some on the shin bone. This means keeping those muscles of the hip, thigh, and lower leg supple, strong and flexible will help stop excessive tension across the knee. This will also decrease torsion across the joint and create ease of knee motion making its movements more powerful and stable. A good netball warm up should include these areas in dynamic stretches, muscle activation, agility and coordination. If you utilise your cross-training period in the off-season to develop and strengthen these areas, without too much of the rapid impact style of the netball movements your knees will really last the distance through your career.
Pelvis and low back
A lot of the pivoting, and rapid stopping requires an immense amount of control and poise which places a lot of load on your lower back and pelvis. Technique is a big part to play in this, awareness of centre of gravity and general body awareness as well as the footwear and muscle training we talked about earlier. Repetitive load and poor technique can turn into friction and strain injuries.
Maintaining a good solid core, as well as hip strength will help you prevent injury by stopping over twisting or wobbling due to fatigue or lack of power.
With that being said, pelvic asymmetry can be a biggie when it comes to adding extra force to the knee joint. Just jogging itself brings a compressive force of 7 times your body weight through the patella!
Twists of the pelvis, hips, long or short legs, can significantly alter the distribution of force in the leg. With the increase of torsion and compressive forces your knee is subject to your knee becomes more susceptible to injury.
Some common issues that can arise from the above can include
patella tracking (poorly coordinated patella)
meniscal tears and wear
muscle tears
ligament injuries
ankle instability and sprains
low back jarring and joint sprains or muscle strains.
This is the area for some expertise and this is where we come in…
Need our help?
Getting your osteopath to do a full body assessment, head to toe, to identify the major asymmetries or patterns in your body can help you understand what you need to do to keep those knees functioning well.
Quay Osteo is proud to sponsor local netball club, the Surfcoast Suns, and support and educate their players on staying strong and ahead of injury. Afterall, prevention is better than cure.
Injuries do happen though, so we have a team of experienced practitioners who are very familiar with the treatment, rehabilitation and recovery management necessary for netball-related sprains and injuries.
Hayden is an osteopath at Quay Osteo, Boston Road, Torquay. He has a strong sporting background having played netball, footy, surfing, tennis, basketball, ocean swimming and more! Feel free to book in for a consultation to discuss how to prevent or manage your injuries.
PH: (03) 5215 1106
E: Health@quayosteo.com.au