Masters Degrees (Sports and Exercise Medicine)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Sports and Exercise Medicine) by Subject "Biomechanics"
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Item Open Access Die epidemiologie van beserings by Suid-Afrikaanse netbalspelers(University of the Free State, 2010-09) Langeveld, Emile; Coetzee, F. F.; Holtzhausen, L. J.English: Netball is a sport that places high physical demands on players. Quick acceleration, changing of direction, high jumps to receive a ball or to intercept an opponent’s pass is some of the tasks that players are required to perform. These requirements leave the players vulnerable to injury. From international studies it is clear that netball players have an increased risk to sustain injuries to the lower limbs. The ankle is the joint most likely to be effected. Injuries to the ankle can account for more than 80% of all netball injuries. The ligaments are the most commonly injured structures. Due to a lack of literature on injuries in South-African netball players, injury patterns in South-Africa cannot be compared to international trends. Epidemiological studies provide the proof on which risks for specific sporting codes are assessed as well as the success of therapeutic intervention programs. The aim of the study was therefore to assess the incidence and severity of injuries in a cohort of elite South-African netball players. The subjects were all the players (n = 1280) that participated in three elite netball tournaments during the 2009 season. The medical staff of each team completed a questionnaire for each player that sustained an injury during the three tournaments. The completed questionnaires were collected at the adjournment of each days play. For those players whose teams did not have their own medical officer, completed questionnaires were collected from the First Aid station where the players received medical attention. Most injuries occurred to the ankle joint (36%) followed by the knee (18%) and injuries to the fingers, hand and wrist (15%). There was a high total injury rate of 500.7 injuries per 1000 playing hours, but the severity of injuries were low, with the majority of the participants being able to continue play or being available for the next match. In order to reduce the amount of injuries to the lower extremities it is recommended that netball players follow a structured program aimed to enhance proprioception and optimize biomechanical execution of functional movement patterns. These exercises should not only be done as part of the pre-season program but continued throughout the remainder of the season.