Managing – and avoiding – injury
For three seasons, netballer Jamie Hume was worried her shoulder would dislocate at any moment.
The 27-year-old dislocated her left shoulder in a skiing accident in 2019 and over time it became a debilitating injury.
‘‘It definitely had an impact on how I played and trained,’’ says the Northern Stars goal attack.
‘‘It was frustrating because it was always in the back of my mind.’’
Hume and her support team threw everything they could at rehabilitation, but after three seasons and no improvement, they decided surgery was the best option.
Netball NZ lead physiotherapist and NetballSmart consultant Sharon Kearney– says the unpredictability of netball and movement on court would expose the instability in Hume’s shoulder.
‘‘To commit to surgery is a big step as it is six months out of netball and with pivotal international campaigns looming,’’ says Kearney.
‘‘It is hard to make that final decision.’’
Hume knew option.
In August 2019, Hume went to Treble Cone with some friends on a skiing trip. She was skiing backwards and showing her friend how to turn, when they tumbled over.
She put her arm down to stop herself and felt her shoulder dislocate it was the best
and come back into the joint.
‘‘The pain was excruciating. It was an awful, sickening feeling.’’
As an elite-level netballer, on the cusp of the Silver Ferns squad, it was a bad moment.
‘‘The first feeling was guilt,’’ she says.
‘‘We’re always told to be careful with whatever we are doing if there is a risk of injury. But it’s also important to be able to enjoy life outside of netball.
‘‘I didn’t realise the extent of the injury to be honest and I didn’t think it would go much past being sore for a couple of days.’’
Hume had surgery just six months out from the start of the ANZ Premiership season.
The NetballSmart Return to
Play programme supported her in her rehab. She fully committed herself.
‘‘I knew that this particular shoulder surgery was pretty final when you get it. There is no second chance if you bugger it up.’’
While her shoulder was healing, Hume committed to other elements that helped a successful transition – fitness, lowerbody strength, core strength, jumping, and landing.
‘‘By the time Jamie’s shoulder was ready to hit the court so was the rest of her body,’’ says Kearney.
‘‘This is vital for a successful Return to Play.’’
Hume says the phase she is currently in – trying to get back to where she was on court before surgery – has been the hardest part so far.
‘‘I underestimated how challenging it was going to be to return to the level that I was playing at pre surgery,’’ she says.
ACC invests in Netball NZ to help deliver the NetballSmart training programme.
In 2022 ACC accepted 21,146 netball-related injuries, which cost $34m to help people recover.
ACC injury prevention partner Nat Hardaker says NetballSmart is making a difference.
‘‘It’s exciting to see the positive impact of the NetballSmart programme supporting players to stay on the court and minimise time lost to injury,’’ she says.