You were a netballer before, not now, why not?

Client Story:

This client story is about Judy. N. She has been attending the Carlton North clinic for the last 4 years. I thought this topic would be great as a Q&A with Judy as she had a long career as a netballer.

Over the years, Judy has had a few injuries we have been working through. These include: meniscus (knee) injuries, Achilles tendonitis, hairline fractures and various muscle strains. Over the last 6 months Judy has been relatively injury free. Judy stopped playing netball in 2019 and stays active through boxing and kickboxing classes and continues building strength throughout her body to prevent future injuries.

You were a netballer before, not now, why not? 

“The last game of the Autumn 2019 season saw my left knee blow up overnight and I could barely walk.  A lot of investigation and scans later revealed that 30 years of netball had taken its toll and there is a lot of degradation in my knees.  Given the level of constant pain I was in and knowing that I was too competitive to play social netball without getting carried away, I decided to step away from netball altogether. I took the sports lessons and discipline I learnt from netball and have channeled that into boxing and kickboxing.  This change of sport and the strength building through the clinical exercise classes at MD Health has helped me manage and reduce the pain in my knees, avoiding invasive surgeries and procedures.”

Can you write down a history of your netball career?

• 6 years old – Started playing netball
• 9 years old – Playing for regional clubs through primary school and high school (two games Saturdays)
• 2001 – Played for Gippsland Storm (state team) for 6 years
• 2007 – Played for Melbourne University Netball Club (MUNC) for 12 years (Premier and A-grade league)
• 2019 – Stopped netball after 30 years

What was your training like during netball, were there strength-based exercises?  

“Training was mainly fitness and skills based.  We did not do much strength-based work. The KNEE Program that Netball Australia released was not available when I was younger.”

What injuries did you sustain from netball? 

I have had quite a few long-term injuries over my years

• Several sprained ankles
• Plantar fasciitis in both feet (starting on the left side and the change in gait caused it to occur on the right as well)
• 7mm tear in my Achilles tendon on my left side
• Tendonitis in the Achilles tendon on my left side

If you were to play netball again, what would you do differently?  

“I think I would focus more on strength building to protect my knees. The KNEE program is a great resource that would help with this (https://knee.netball.com.au).  Also, I would have taken the rehab for my first serious injury, which was a sprained ankle (almost to breaking point) and ensure I did not rush back onto the court.  I was 17 at the time and did not appreciate the longer-term issue of this.”

Thank you Judy for helping us out with the client story.

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