Netball is the most popular team based sport in Australia, played predominantly by females of all ages and skill levels although male and mixed competitions are becoming increasingly popular. Netball has been described as a game reliant on rapid acceleration to "break free" from an opponent, sudden and rapid changes in direction in combination with leaps to receive a pass, intercept a ball or rebound after attempting to goal . Taking these characteristics into consideration, injuries can result in a number of ways. Despite the large participation numbers and the controversy surrounding netball which is often defined as "a game prone to ankle and knee injuries" (Steele, 1990), there is a notable lack of formal, controlled evaluations of the effectiveness of injury prevention ountermeasures. The overall aim of this report is to critically review both the formal literature and informal sources that describe injury prevention measures, or countermeasures, for netball. In doing so, it provides an evaluation of the extent to which these countermeasures have been demonstrated to be effective. This report discusses a range of countermeasures for preventing netball injuries including: warm-up and stretching, correction of training errors, attention to the netball environment, correction of netball technique, footwear, use of orthotics, adequate treatment and rehabilitation. Specific factors associated with children`s netball injuries are also discussed. Recommendations for further countermeasure research, development and implementation include additional research into the biomechanics of netball and the mechanisms of injury; improved epidemiological studies to identify risk factors; further controlled evaluation of the effectiveness of countermeasures; professional fitting of shoes; professional testing for biomechanical abnormalities and the fitting of orthotic devices.
© Copyright 1998 Veröffentlicht von Monash University Accident Research Centre. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.