Abstract
BackgroundAnkle sprains are the most commonly reported injury in netball. Approximately four in five netball athletes will sustain an ankle sprain, up to half will go on to sustain recurrent ankle sprains, and nine in ten report perceived ankle instability. Historically, prevention and management strategies of ankle sprains and injuries have been investigated for a variety of sports, however, no literature reviews have investigated these in netball athletes, or compared these with current best-practice within the literature. Therefore, this scoping review aims to understand how netball athletes currently prevent and manage ankle sprains and to compare these approaches with best-practice recommendations.MethodsA literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus databases using keywords to capture studies with data or information related to the prevention and management of ankle sprains and injuries in netball.ResultsThe search strategy captured 982 studies across all databases, with 30 netball studies included in this scoping review. Studies suggest netball athletes are not commonly referred to health professionals, do not undertake adequate rehabilitation, and almost immediately return to court following an ankle sprain or injury. Current best-practices suggest injury prevention programs and external ankle support effectively reduce ankle sprains and injuries; however, poor compliance and implementation may be a significant barrier. Currently, there is a lack of evidence that netball-specific footwear reduces the risk of ankle sprains.ConclusionThe findings suggest netball athletes do not implement current best-practice prevention and management strategies following an ankle sprain. This is despite evidence of the effectiveness of injury prevention programs, external ankle support, and adequate rehabilitation in reducing ankle sprain rates. Current-best practice prevention and management of ankle sprains should be considered by clinicians, coaches, and athletes to reduce the prevalence and chronicity of ankle sprains in netball.
Highlights
Ankle sprains are the most commonly reported injury in netball
Study inclusion Studies were eligible if they (1) were published in a peerreviewed journal; (2) randomised, cross-sectional and observational studies explicitly investigated a netball cohort; (3) included data or information related to ankle sprains and injuries; and (4) investigated prevention and management related to ankle sprains and injuries
In 2015, Netball Australia introduced the KNEE injury prevention IPP program to reduce the rate of lower limb injuries in netball, in particular knee and ankle injuries, Cross-Sectional 96 club and interdistrict netball athletes (24.1 ± 7.9y) undertook EAS questionnaires to investigate the prevalence of ankle sprains, perceived and mechanical instability
Summary
Ankle sprains are the most commonly reported injury in netball. Approximately four in five netball athletes will sustain an ankle sprain, up to half will go on to sustain recurrent ankle sprains, and nine in ten report perceived ankle instability. Prevention and management strategies of ankle sprains and injuries have been investigated for a variety of sports, no literature reviews have investigated these in netball athletes, or compared these with current best-practice within the literature. Netball is one of the leading female sporting codes worldwide with over 20 million participants across 80 countries [1, 2]. It is an intermittent, high-intensity sport played within a limited court space where athletes undertake repeated cutting, pivoting, jumping, landing, and sprint efforts [3, 4]. Ankle sprains during netball typically result from poor landing mechanics or player contact, resulting in an inversion-internal rotation mechanism [9]
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