Meet Isobel, a netball player from the South Region whose life on court came to a halt when she sustained an ACL injury that took her on a long journey, from getting the correct diagnosis, to surgery, to rehab.
Isobel was injured on court whilst playing for her regional team. At the time, the injury to her ACL ligament and meniscus was not picked up until weeks later when she was kicking a ball around with a friend.
‘I had an MRI, it comes back and the ACL was ruptured and the meniscus was torn, which isn’t what you want to hear.’
After getting the MRI scan done to confirm what appeared to be a bigger injury than she had known previously, it’s safe to say Isobel was emotional and upset at the thought of not playing netball.
‘It feels like your world literally falls apart because you don’t know who you are anymore.’
Isobel was lucky to get her surgery for reconstruction in a short amount of time, which isn’t always the case for others who get injured this way. But once the surgery was complete, that’s when the hard work really kicked in as Isobel prepared to allow her body to heal and rebuild strength.
‘The main thing with the injury is you need to celebrate every milestone that you reach!’
‘You re-learn how to do things, because you can’t do anything on your own anymore.’
Each small achievement kept Isobel going through the rehab process, with the support of physios, she has been able to get off crutches and build up her muscles and joints again.
‘I started going to physio regularly and going to the gym.’
However, the process takes time, time that is important if players want to return to the court safely, which took a toll on Isobel’s mental health.
‘It really shuts you off from a netball perspective.’
‘I was seeing my teammates all the time and suddenly it’s all gone.’
‘You have a lot of feelings with it. You feel sad, angry.’
The Netball Family has a huge role to play in supporting players who get injured. There is so much power in connecting and supporting each other through difficult times – especially when what you are going through means you have to temporarily take time away from playing.
‘My coaches are being really great and encouraging me.’
‘You just have to give it time and stay optimistic about it.’
Isobel shares her story in the hopes of letting other players know that they are not alone in what they are going through.
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