No one ever seems surprised when you say you sprained your ankle at Netball!!
A 2021 study(1) reported that at least 4 out of 5 netballers will go on to sustain an ankle sprain or injury. Over half of players report going on to have recurrent ankle sprain. Furthermore 90% of players report ongoing feelings of ankle instability.
What is concerning is that it is common for people to consider an ankle sprain as a simple injury and often do not seek treatment. It is most common for players to return to playing the following week without any specific care. Without appropriate rehab after an ankle sprain its no wonder people go on to have further ankle sprains and suffer from ongoing limitations. But there are proven ways to help reduce your ankle injury and re-injury risk.
Your physio can help straight away – there is no need to wait. In the early stages remember “PRICED” Protect – Rest – Ice – Compress – Elevate and Diagnosis!
Your Physio will work out what is going on in your ankle and then work with you to get you back to Netball safely. They will teach you how to jump and land well. They will also provide simple but very effective rehab exercises to help reduce your risk of having a repeat ankle sprain.
Be Netball Smart!
Injury prevention programs such as ACC & Netball New Zealand’s Netball Smart programme reduce ankle sprains (and all other injuries). These have other great benefits such as improving your performance and fundamental netball skills. For the best results, do these netball specific exercises 3-4 times per week.
Netball shoes are designed for netball! They are durable, constructed for the rigours of the game. The shoes have excellent grip and have a more rounded edge on the sole of the shoe which helps you react better to sideways movements. If you can only afford one sports shoe your netball shoe can be used for running and other activities.
Tape or Brace your ankles
This is especially important if you have had an ankle injury in the past. Those ankle ligaments after injury are stretched and are less effective at restricting your ankle movement. This can make your ankle more vulnerable to injury. Taping or bracing your ankle will help limit the extremes of movement to reduce your risk of re-injury.
Tape vs Brace
This comes down to personal preference – there is currently no research to suggest one is better than the other. If you’re not sure, talk to your physiotherapist. Your physio can teach you how to tape your ankles effectively or help you decide if an ankle brace might be right for you.
If you haven’t sprained your ankles before there is no need to tape or brace – just keep working on your standing balance, practicing your landings and do the Netball Smart warm up regularly.
Ankles are the most common injury in Netball – but they don’t have to be for you! Make sure you seek the advice of your physio, practice your movement skill with the Netball Smart dynamic warm up, learn to tape or invest in a brace and get yourself some netball shoes!
Written by Amanda Foster MHPrac, BHSc (Physio) Director/Physiotherapist Active Health Waikato Previous NZA, WBOP Magic, NZ Secondary Schools, WBOP NNL and Netball NZ Pathway Physiotherapist.
Did you know that Active Health has physiotherapists trained in Cancer Rehabilitation?
We have 4 physiotherapists trained specifically in cancer rehabilitation, and ready to help you to feel your best. Our Physiotherapists can offer treatment in both the St Albans and Rangiora Clinics.
Do you know someone that has been affected by cancer?
Cancer treatment is full on and commonly causes unwanted side effects that negatively impact quality of life. Treatment is also known to affect physical health, body weight and cardiovascular health. This can lead to a withdrawal in daily activities like physical activity and working. A great way to combat this is to see our highly skilled physiotherapists to help get you back on track and feeling better.
Cancer rehabilitation can help reduce the side effects of cancer and cancer treatments. Our trained physiotherapists can help support people in all the stages of their treatment and after treatment has finished, to help them maximize their recovery and improve their quality of life.
Please spread the word that there are trained physiotherapists that can help support people who are recovering from cancer, as so many people are missing out on this valuable support and as a result they are living with unnecessary side effects of cancer.
Cancer rehabilitation can help:
Ease pain and muscular tension
Regain strength and mobility
Increase energy levels and improve breathing
Help with managing fatigue
Reclaim body confidence and control
Reduce treatment related side effects
Return to those activities that you love but have been unable to do lately
An added bonus
There are a few options for funding for this type of rehabiblation to help ease the finacial strain of treatment.
For those affected by Breast cancer, you can apply for funding here through the Breast Cancer Foundation.
For any other types of cancer, you can apply for funding here through the PINC and STEEL Trust.
Active Health and the North Canterbury Basketball Association have Partnered.
For 15 years Active Health has been providing professional, friendly, and excellent driven Physiotherapy and Podiatry services in Rangiora. Our clinical rooms within MainPower Stadium are uniquely and conveniently located to support the growing basketball community in the North Canterbury region. With the collective goal of developing and nurturing local sporting talent, we have partnered with the North Canterbury Basketball Association to assist players, coaches, and staff in being the best they can be, at North Canterbury’s home of Basketball.
North Canterbury Basketball player is 20% off our musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Podiatry services
What this means for you as a 2022 registered North Canterbury Basketball player is 20% off our musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Podiatry services, private or ACC, every consultation. Just present your registration card at the time of your appointment.
We also work closely with the trainers at the North Canterbury Sports and Recreation Trust. So, if you’re a gym member with a niggle be rest assured, that we can communicate and work with them to keep your goals in sight.
Should MainPower Stadium not be convenient, we also have locations within the Rangiora Fitness Centre, 345 Flaxton Road and within Durham Health GP practice, 15 Durham Street.
Severs is an acute condition that affects the back of the heel bone around the area where the Achilles tendon inserts. This condition occurs during growth spurts and is most common in children aged between 8 and 14 years old. It crops up mostly in children who play sports like football and soccer. Symptoms include a painful pressure in the heel that is particularly uncomfortable when running and jumping.
How is severs caused?
Overuse injury – overactive children, participating in multiple sports at a time, sudden increase in activity, lead up to school cross country or athletics day
Stress response – repeated impact and stretching of muscles causes tightness meaning calf muscles pull on calcaneal bone resulting in inflammation and increased sensitivity to growth plate.
External factors – soft flexible footwear, training on hard surfaces like wooden floors or concrete, hard ground i.e. preseason winter sport
Also seen in children with high arched or low arched feet, obesity and sometimes coincides with recent or current growth spurts.
How can I manage Severs?
There are a few ways to manage and treat the symptoms of severs disease. The aim is reducing the tension in the back of the heel where the growth plate. A podiatrist can help by assessing any biomechanical issues and check alignment to reduce any tension on the heels. Podiatrists can also assess footwear to make sure the feet are properly supported, especially through the heel cupping. They can also help prescribe stretches the release the tension down the back of the legs and exercises to help strengthen weak muscles and to stabilise the foot.
What now?
Seeing a podiatrist is the best way to help combat and treat this painful condition, they can create a personalised treatment plan to best suit your needs and aid your recovery.
Pilates was developed almost 100 years ago by Joseph Pilates. It is a total body exercise, it was designed to rehabilitate injured WW1 soldiers and then later used for the strength and conditioning of dancers. Pilates aims to restore balance and flexibility, while improving posture and core strength. Read on to learn about 3 reasons why you should try Pilates today.
Anyone can do it!
Pilates can be adapted to cater to everyone. If you are brand new to exercise, been training for years or even pregnant Pilates can be adjusted to suit you. Pilates is also great for injury rehabilitation and correcting muscle imbalances.
It promotes relaxation.
Pilates is combination of slow movement and deep breathing. It can help reduce stress and improve circulation, while releasing those feel-good endorphins.
It’s a great way to reduce injury.
In order to help reduce injury, it is important to know where you body is in space. Pilates teaches your body awareness by moving through various challenging positions. It is known to strengthen your core and back muscles, which are important in reducing musculoskeletal injuries.
Now that that you know some great reasons why you should be doing Pilates, let’s get you started. Book a class or one-on-one session today with our Pilates expert Kate Horton at our St Albans, Christchurch Clinic.
Not sure who to see about Carpal tunnel syndrome? Wondering if a Physio can help with carpal tunnel. This blog will introduce you to three things you need to know:
Do you have any of the following:
1. Wrist or forearm pain? 2. Pins and needles and/or numbness in your hand or fingers? 3. Weakness when gripping or lifting heavy things? 4. Or is any of the above bothering your sleep at night?
You may be experiencing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and the following blog may interest you.
The body is made up of many nerves that pass electrical signals to allow for movement and sensation. These nerves function similar to a road or motorway, passing their signals (the “cars”) between the brain and the rest of the body, and back again. Structurally, these resemble pieces of string that travel from the spinal cord out to the fingers and toes. These “pieces of string” must be able to stretch and move to adapt to different positions of the body to allow them to conduct signals effectively.
When the ability of a nerve to move becomes restricted in any way, a “neuropathy” may occur. The word neuropathy is derived from “neuro”, meaning nerve, and “pathy”, meaning suffering or disease. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common “neuropathies” and occurs where the median nerve, one of the main nerves in the arm, becomes irritated through the “carpal tunnel”, or bones of the wrist. For example, if the median nerve is not able to move its best through the carpal tunnel, this can bring on pain and nerve-related symptoms.
When faulty median nerve movement is suspected, the scientific literature supports exercises that can improve nerve movement as a treatment for peripheral neuropathy. In essence, it is supported that enabling a nerve to move better near joints like the wrist may help to ease symptoms of nerve pain, for example with carpal tunnel syndrome.
The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome research:
A recent Ultrasound study carried out by one of our Physiotherapists, David, out of Auckland University of Technology (AUT), with Associate Professor Richard Ellis (AUT), aimed to investigate the best way to encourage movement for the median nerve. This is one of the main nerves in the upper arm, and that in question during Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The research showed that nerve movement exercises called “sliders” allowed the greatest movement of the median nerve to occur. This was found in a variety of different arm positions and looked at different locations for the median nerve at the wrist and further into the forearm. Importantly, these slider exercises also place the median nerve under the least “strain” (defined as relative length change), which is favourable when dealing with neuropathy such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
What that means for you:
If you have been struggling with the above symptoms of nerve-related pain, and believe you have carpal tunnel syndrome; organize an appointment with one of our physiotherapists so they can work with you and advise the best treatment options.
Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome may include nerve movement exercises, such as those studied in this research project. Your physiotherapist can show you how to include some nerve exercises into your daily life to improve your symptoms.
The research in this blog did not look at how often these exercises should be done. It is likely that maintaining regular activity and whole-body exercises, is key to improving your nerve function and helping you feel better.
Come and see us at Active Health. Let’s get you back on the right track!
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