Ankle injuries account for 84% of all injuries sustained during competitive netball, and 67% of these injuries are lateral ligament sprains (Hopper et al., 1995). Netball has high attrition rates due to injury with 36% of adults citing injury or the fear of reinjury as their primary reason for quitting netball (Foley et al., 2021). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the individual injury, rehabilitation and return to play experiences of netball players and the role played by the fear of reinjury. A range of psychological factors have been associated with injuries and rehabilitation in a range of sports including anxiety, frustration, rage, depression, and low self-esteem (Von Rosen et al., 2018). These psychological factors, particularly the fear of reinjury, have been found to contribute to physical impairment, perceived function, athletic identity, and subsequent return to play. Six non-elite, female netball players were recruited for the study using convenience sampling and took part in one semi structured interview surrounding their injury, rehabilitation and return to play experiences. Data was analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) and four main themes emerged (impacts of injury, perceived function, support, and expectations for return), all of which impact or are impacted by the fear of reinjury. Future studies should consider alternative sampling methods e.g., purposive sampling, following an athlete’s rehabilitation in real time to mitigate the issues caused by inaccurate recall, and look to extend research in an applied setting to create an effective intervention to reduce fear of reinjury and improve rehabilitation outcomes for this cohort.
PLEASE NOTE: You must be a member of the University of Lincoln to be able to view this dissertation. Please log in here.