By Bridget Sheehan
If you’ve played netball you’ve probably ‘done your ankle’ at some point.
Those who haven’t are considered ‘the unicorns’ of the sport, explains Patrick Rowe, Victoria University physiotherapy lecturer and researcher.
Mr Rowe and his research team recently conducted a study with 578 athletes from Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK, across four sports that are typically high risk for ankles: netball, volleyball, basketball and soccer.
The survey found that 79% of netballers had previously sprained their ankle. They also found that netball had the highest rates of repeated sprains and feelings of the ankle ‘giving way’, known as ‘chronic ankle instability’, which can lead to poorer quality of life.
But they’re not trying to scare people off the sport – just the opposite.
They want to empower players for long-term participation and encourage evidence-based approaches to bring down rates of injury and reduce their severity. These approaches have been embraced by teams competing at the elite level, and sports physiotherapists and governing bodies like Netball Australia want all players to get onboard.
A three-step approach for safe play
If you or your child is a netballer, Rowe says there are three good ways to protect joints:
1. Dynamic warm-ups and practising good techniques: training videos are really helpful for players and coaches to learn ways to strengthen ankles, and learn good techniques for landing, jumping, and changing direction. He recommends checking out the KNEE program by Netball Australia: knee.netball.com.au, and NetballSmart, the NZ injury prevention program: netballsmart.co.nz
2. External ankle supports (taping or bracing) can drastically reduce ankle injury risk – up to 70 per cent.
3. Strengthening and balance exercises have been shown to significantly reduce ankle-based injuries – by 40 to 50%. Again, Rowe recommends Netball Australia and NZ Netball Smart for ideas and simple how-to videos and resources.
If you (or your child) have sprained your ankle on court?
“I’d encourage you to seek advice from a health professional. We know that ankle sprains are considered a simple injury by most people, and unfortunately that results in people not seeking health advice,” Rowe said.
“Seek care, get some advice around diagnosis, because not every ankle sprain is the same. Some are mild, while others can be more serious and if they not managed correctly, it can lead to ongoing symptoms and risk recurrent sprains.”
Proving the point with Melbourne Vixens
Mr Rowe said that Melbourne Vixens are proof that preventative measures work.
“They have a great program led by their medical team that puts the onus on players to adopt these evidence-based preventative measures.”
“We urge all community athletes to follow in the footsteps of the Vixens by adopting these strategies to ensure they can stay injury free and remain on the court.”
And, with the Vixens winning the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball title, this advice is worth considering.
