Incidence of match injuries of South African junior netball players

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of injuries during match play in a cohort of junior (u/15, u/16 and u/19) South African netball  players. A total of 560 female players (u/15=220, u/16=220, u/19=120) who participated in 2015 All Ages South African Tournament and the Wildeklawer Schools Tournament in 2017, were included in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data on all the injuries during the two tournaments. The overall incidence of injuries was 22.5 per 1000 playing hours. The anatomical site with the most injuries was the knee (30%), followed by the ankle joint (28%) and lower leg (9%). The most commonly injured structures were the ligaments and muscles associated with the injured sites. To reduce the risk and incidence of injuries among netball players, the implementation of structured, evidence-based injury prevention programmes based on the theory of specific adaptation to the imposed demands of the game, should be considered. These programmes should focus on improving core stability, neuromuscular control and balance or proprioception, and correction of biomechanics during the execution of the functional activities of netball.

Keywords: Incidence; Injuries; Injury prevention; Junior; Netball.